


The Flame That Burns

by J_Wolfenstein



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Sexual Slavery, Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-02-06 23:41:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1876911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Wolfenstein/pseuds/J_Wolfenstein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sokka finds himself a prisoner aboard Zuko's ship after the raid on the Southern Water Tribe. Now faced with an uncertain future as the personal slave of the young Prince, will Sokka seek freedom, or turn from his friends to remain by Zuko's side?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Making the Best of the Bleak

**Author's Note:**

> Reposted from FF.net under the sn: UrbanShaman. My longest ongoing Avatar fic based along the series time/storyline with a 'what if' scenario.

This was all that kids fault!!!

That thought must have gone through Sokka’s head at least a thousand times in the last two weeks that he had been a prisoner aboard none other than Prince Zuko’s ship. Being a prisoner of war was no walk in the park as it was… but to be trapped at sea with a guy like Zuko? It made the thought of a long, endless voyage unbearable.

Sokka lay back against the metal haul, still surprised, and yet not so surprised, every time he noticed that the metal even in the brig was warm. Most ships were almost icy to the touch, especially where they were submerged… But rationally, it made sense. After all, this was a Fire Nation ship run on coal and flame. The entire structure was like a large, metal dragon puffing along aggressively through the icy seas of the Southern Waters. Still… warm metal made lying against it day in and day out a bit more comfortable.

He gazed up at the grate in the cell ceiling as he heard the heavy footfalls of the crew marching about, talking amongst themselves… Sokka often wondered if Zuko realized how restless his men had become… How doubtful of his quest ever reaching an end… Even now they murmured amongst themselves in hushed tones. The first few days Sokka had been trapped below deck, he’d made it his mission to spy on anything and everything he could; scrambling up crates to get closer to the grates or pressing his ear to the metal walls and cell door. But as the time passed and he realized there was little hope of him being freed before they hit Fire Nation waters, he’d lost his interest in the everyday complaints of the men above him.

Sokka felt his eyes grow heavy and sighed low, shifting in his shackles that bound both his wrists and ankles as he tried to settle down for a nap. Mid-day was always the worst… The sun above made the ship itself even warmer and most of the crew stayed above deck to retreat from the heat. Sokka smiled wryly to himself at the thought of fire benders roasting like sea prunes in a pot.

Oh…~ Stewed sea prunes!

His stomach gave a pitiful growl of placation, aching for food. He gave it a gentle rub, sighing lightly. 

“There there, tummy… I know how ya feel…”

Sokka jumped, startled, when the cell door unlocked and swung open at that very moment, Zuko himself coming through the doorway and gazing down at him with grim annoyance.

“Talking to yourself again, prisoner?” The young Prince scoffed lightly, standing at the far corner of the cell, as though he was afraid Sokka might infect him with something.  
The younger teen scowled lightly and snorted low. 

“Well it’s not as if I have much opportunity to chat with anyone else, your Hiney-ness… Even the mole-rats are tired of hearing my stomach growl! When are you gonna feed me some REAL food?! Ya’know… MEAT?!”

Zuko’s golden eyes flickered with irritation, but drifted towards the corners of the cell as if searching out the small, digging scavengers. Upon not finding any, his shoulders relaxed just a fraction and his attention turned back to the Water Tribesman across from him.

“…Our supplies are meant to sustain my crew while we’re at sea… You hardly qualify.”

Sokka narrowed his eyes and lifted his arms, roughly shaking the chain and shackles binding him. 

“Then what’s the point of keeping a prisoner if you’re just gonna let me waste away!! I can’t live on toast and water!!! I need real foooood!” He actually grinned this time when his stomach gave an earnest and rather noisy growl of assertion. “ …Heh, seeee?”

The young fire bender merely rolled his eyes and sat on a crate across from Sokka, his arms resting on his thighs and his bright eyes leveling the younger man. Sokka gazed back, undaunted, but took the opportunity to actually look at his captor. Zuko was dressed in loose legged silken red-clay colored pants that cinched with a crimson sash at his slim waist. His torso was bare, save for a loose vest of the same earthy clay color, bordered in gold. His hair was tied back in the royal top knot, exposing his young, but fierce face… the scar clearly visible. Sokka felt his stomach sink slightly at the mere thought of how such an injury must have been sustained. It was obviously a burn, not a birth mark. He blinked lightly, realizing Zuko had been talking and shifted his gaze from where it had been lingering on the scar back to the Prince’s fiery eyes.

“…Wha-?”

Zuko let out an exasperated noise through his nose and narrowed his glare on his prisoner.

“… I said…” He paused and arched his brows to make sure he had Sokka’s attention this time, “That you are here as leverage. I KNOW you and your tribe was harboring the Avatar… And until you produce him, or give me information I can actually use, then you will remain down here and eat whatever I feel generous enough to give you!”

“But I don’t know where he is! I sent him away before you even showed up! He could be MILES away by now!”

“You know I don’t believe that…” Zuko glared at Sokka, his voice growing dangerously low.

“Well than you’re just stubborn! It’s the truth! Now feed me!!!”

Zuko jumped up, balling his fists at his sides. “You’re lying!! I will NOT be made a fool of! Not again! I KNOW what I saw! I’ve been searching too long for this to be wrong! I know   
I’m close this time! You WILL tell me where to find the Avatar or suffer the consequences!” 

Sokka shrank back slightly, looking up at Zuko with a rueful pout on his lips. He was telling the truth damnit… All he wanted was some food to make the ache in his stomach subside. Even for a prisoner that shouldn’t have been so much to ask for! He hadn’t even tried to escape recently! Which, now that he thought about it was… odd. He’d tried repeatedly the first week, to no avail… but failure had never stopped Sokka before. So why had he resigned to his fate as a prisoner? He shook his head lightly, drawing himself out of such troubling thoughts and looked over the angry young man now nearly standing over him; steam rising in a wispy trail from both clenched fists. It dawned on him that Zuko was holding himself back… and in truth, had been this whole time. Even when Sokka had tried his numerous attempts at fleeing… Zuko had only used his combat skills to restrain him, never his fire.

“…I… I’m not lying. I didn’t want the kid there because I KNEW Fire Nation would come looking for him… I told him to leave, and he did… I really don’t know where he could be by now… I just wanted to keep my family safe.”

Zuko was still coiled like a Viper-Hawk… but something that looked truly painful flashed through his eyes at Sokka’s words and he backed down, taking two short steps back and looking to the side. He remained silent for several minutes that seemed to stretch out forever in the confines of the small cell, but finally he took in a slow breath and glanced back at Sokka, his voice low and almost strained… as if he were fighting to keep his tone level. 

“… If I find out that this has all been a rouse to throw me off the trail… you will pay dearly for lying to me…”

He turned then and stalked out of the cell, calling to the guards who stood a few feet down the hall. 

“Get him washed up and fed! He’s starting to smell… After he eats, set him to work with the crew!”

“Yes sir, Prince Zuko!” Both guards barked in unison, moving into the cell after Zuko had left. 

Sokka sat up in shock, looking up at the two guards as they came in to unlock his chains and haul him to his feet. He was going to get a bath? And FOOD?! Real food like the delicious meats he could always smell cooking?! He all but jumped for joy as the guards escorted him down the hall towards the baths. But Zuko had mentioned putting him to work also… Did that mean he was now a crewman instead of a prisoner? And if so, what kind of work would he be doing? And for that matter, how long would it be before Zuko got tired of him and let him go… or got rid of him in another way. Sokka swallowed at the thought. Being burned alive or thrown out to sea was not the most appealing of options. He decided swiftly that for now… he’d remain on Zuko’s good side, if for no other reason than to remain alive and un-crispy! He was sure that with enough time on his side, he’d find a new means of escape and make his way home where he belonged…

TBC


	2. The Price of Placation

The bath was glorious! There were not words grand enough to describe what an actual hot bath felt like, especially after two weeks of sitting in a gritty holding cell! Sokka had had the occasional warm bath back home, but when you live on an ice cube, more or less, you don’t get many opportunities to enjoy the ‘warmer’ things in life. Even fire heated bath water never stayed that warm for long… Sokka had just become accustomed to cold and QUICK baths. Though he knew he shouldn’t have been enjoying himself so much, Sokka couldn’t help but laze about in the large brass tub, submerged up to his nose with a giant grin plastered on his lips. If THIS was how the crew got to bathe every day, or even only once a week he could get used to it! Every aching muscle finally relaxed, his gritty skin was now scrubbed and refreshed back to a healthy light mocha-toned glow… even his hair felt smooth and untangled. 

A short series of knocks on the metal door signaled that the guards had returned to collect him. Although he was bereft to leaving the tub, he knew his next stop would be food, and he was more than willing to give up the steamy luxury of the bath for a full belly. Allowing himself one last full, languid stretch, Sokka stood and grabbed up the closest towel, stepping onto the metal floor and ruffling himself dry. He jumped when the guard opened the door and scrambled to cover himself.

“H-Hey! I wasn’t ready yet!”

“Save it…” The guard snorted and tossed a few bits of cloth at him. “Get dressed and do it quickly… We don’t have time to wait around for you all day Water Boy.”

Sticking his tongue out and muttering low under his breath, Sokka finished toweling himself dry and looked at the items that had been tossed at him… 

They were... a bit revealing.

“What the heck is THIS?!” He held up a long silky piece of black fabric embroidered with the Fire Nation flame in crimson thread. “It looks like something that belongs on a dress!”  
The guard merely smiled and tipped his head.

“It’s the customary outfit of a slave… I’m sure you’ll find that it suits you well, boy.”

Sokka’s eyes went wide and all the heat from the tub suddenly fled his body as his blood ran cold as winter’s ice through his veins. 

‘Slave’….

Where happiness and died out with the sudden slap of shock, fury quickly took its place and the young man bared his teeth in a fierce snarl, throwing the cloth at the guard and taking a defensive stance. He may have been naked and unarmed… but he would fight his way off this ship here and now!

“I am NO ONES slave!” 

He roared and launched himself at the guard. He managed to get in a good shot with his elbow under the larger man’s ribs and quickly leapfrogged his way over the man’s back as he doubled over for breath. The other guard was still at the far end of the hall and shouted at Sokka as he spotted the bare-skinned teen go banging into the metal wall due to his own momentum before pivoting on his heel and high-tailing it towards the opposite end of the corridor. There had to be stairs somewhere that lead above deck, and he’d find them one way or another! 

Sokka desperately wished he had his old clothes… It was embarrassing to run about an enemy ship in the buff, but at least it allowed him freedom of movement and there was no risk of getting snatched or snagged.

At last he spotted stairs with light shining down from above. Freedom! He thought joyously to himself, sweet sweet freedom at last! He bolted for the stairs as quickly as his legs would carry him, scaling the steps two at a time before bursting out onto the deck.

DAMN IT WAS COLD!!!

Sokka’s breath billowed from his lips in thick plumes of white steam, his wide eyes taking in their surroundings. They were still in the Southern Waters! There was ice dotted everywhere… no formations that he recognized unfortunately, but still the right area to be not THAT far from his home! What had Zuko been doing all this time? Circling the area in hopes of spotting Aang? If so… lucky for Sokka! All he had to do was pilfer a life boat and try to get back to his village. Clothes first however he mentally reminded himself. He wouldn’t last very long against the elements like this. He turned, looking for anything he might be able to use to cover himself when he heard a shout from the stairs and turned to look with a low curse. The guard had caught up to him and now there was an alarm going off. Every eye on deck turned to stare at him and Sokka felt an overwhelming rush of panic and embarrassment. 

Well his embarrassment be damned! He needed to get away and FAST!

Running in the opposite direction, Sokka tried to make it around the far side of the ship, keeping his eyes open for any form of clothing as he quickly pushed at and tested the few life boats that were hanging from the side of the ship. None budged easily and he cursed low, latching onto the last one and manipulating the knot with nimble fingers to get it untied. He brightened as one knot came loose, feeling freedom within his grasp at last when a sudden burst of flame exploded near his feet, making him jump with a shout of surprise and fall back onto his ass.

Sokka looked over at where the blast had originated, his body tensing as he saw Zuko standing only ten feet from him. 

He. Was. PISSED!

Sokka had seen the young prince angry before… but not like this… This was pure fury! He remembered realizing that Zuko had been holding back before… Now it looked as though Sokka had been the preverbal straw that broke the Camelephant’s back!

Zuko’s eyes were narrowed slits of pure gold, his fists tight at his sides as flames licked out the creases in his fingers and coiled upwards along his flexed, bare arms. His lips were twisted back, baring white, clenched teeth. His appearance was that of feral beast ready to take the killing strike… 

Sokka had to try hard not to nearly piss himself on the spot!

“Zuko!”

Both the Prince and Sokka’s head whipped to the side to look at the older, rather plump, man standing a few paces behind the enraged fire bender with a stern, and disapproving look on his gently aged face.

“…Uncle…?! Stay out of this!” Zuko all but snarled at the other man, the tone harsh enough to make Sokka flinch even though it wasn’t directed at him.

The older fire bender hooded his eyes mildly, taking his nephew’s anger in stride and leveling Zuko with a slightly softer gaze. He removed his weathered hands from his exaggerated sleeves, holding them out to Zuko in a gentle, placating manner.

“Zuko, please… There is no need to lose your head and resort to such violence… I’m sure the boy is sorry for what he did.” Iroh murmured gently, frowning from Zuko to the young naked man behind him. Sokka felt his cheeks flush darkly, wondering just what it was the old man thought he’d done... especially with him trying to run away without a stitch of clothing on him! Zuko let out a low growl of warning, the fire contained in his fists only crawling higher up his arms and trailing smoke off his shoulders.

“He’s a prisoner and he’s trying to escape… AGAIN!” Zuko spat the last word as he whirled his head back to face Sokka spitefully. 

“…W-what do you expect?! Your guard told me I was a slave! Not a prisoner, a SLAVE!” Sokka shouted in return, scrambling to his feet and gripping the edge of the ship with one hand until he was nearly white knuckled. He didn’t want to jump into the freezing water… but he would if he must.

Iroh arched his brows, looking genuinely taken aback and moved closer to his irate nephew, grasping his arm. 

“What is the meaning of this Zuko?! It’s one thing to hold him captive, but to enslave him? We’ve never done that! Think of what you’re doing, nephew!” His voice was harsh, but Sokka didn’t miss the pleading tone of reason in his speech. 

Zuko shook off the older bender and growled low. “He didn’t want to be kept below, and I don’t trust him running around the ship on his own, Uncle! He might sabotage our search! If I keep him confined to quarters, at least he’ll be out of the cells and out of our way!”

“Until what?! You sell me ‘cause you’re tired of me being ‘in the way’?! Thanks but no thanks!” Sokka spat and made to climb onto the rail of the ship.

“HEY! Are you crazy?!” Iroh yelled after him, eyes wide with shock and arm outreached as if to grab the Water Tribesman. “You’ll freeze to death in mere seconds!”

“Better to die free than live as someone else’s property!”

And with that, Sokka dove…

TBC


	3. Taking the Sweetness with the Sour

Death held him with icy fingers, a pain so sharp that it sliced through his flesh and rendered his breath useless, his heart a solid lump of blackened ice in his chest. Sokka couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t cry out… He was dead the instant he hit the water, and the frozen sea was hungry to devour him into its bottomless depths.

The world became dark, moving and yet utterly still. There was no sound… No pulse… Nothingness simply stretched out forever and Sokka curled in on himself, spiraling slowly downwards into the abyss. He thought briefly of Katara, and Gran Gran… of the young kids who’d looked to him to protect them…

He hadn’t… He had failed. 

But none of it mattered anymore…

He’d jumped and chosen this frozen grave over the life of servitude that had been thrust upon him. It was better this way. He may not have been the best warrior… he may have not have lived his life to the fullest… but at least he’d had the pride to die as HE saw fit… a free man. In his ocean, HIS homeland. That thought at least comforted him enough not to bother struggling… Hell, it even brought the barest of smiles to his blue lips. He was free…

Free…  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sokka’s eyes snapped open.

He was warm… comfortable… Alive!

Blinking puzzled, Sokka leaned up on the small, dark futon he’d been sleeping in. He glanced at his surroundings, grimacing as he realized it hadn’t all just been a bad dream. He was still on a Fire Nation ship… The long black and crimson tapestries emblazed with the fire insignia that marked the Fire Nation hung from nearly every wall… expect for the far one which housed the mounted mask of a red dragon’s face. There was a small shrine set before the mask with four burning candles atop the low table. They were the only light illuminating the room, yet even so the cell-like space was warm.

How had he survived? He distinctly remembered hitting the water.

…But after that…?

The blankets shifted beside him and Sokka nearly leapt out of his skin as he scrambled from the futon and across the floor, eyes wide with panic and breath quickened.

Zuko was in bed with him!

ZUKO… In BED…. WITH him!!!!

What was going on!? Had he lost his mind somewhere?! He opened his mouth to let out a cry of protest when a shadow moved near the table several feet away.

“Please… Do not wake him. My nephew needs his rest.” Iroh whispered gently, lifting a small cup of tea to his lips and gazing across the room at the tense young man.

“W-what are you talking about?! What happened!? WHY am I here, and in… uh… his room?” Sokka pointed at the sleeping teen on the futon, glaring suspiciously at the older bender.

Iroh let out a gentle sigh of patience and motioned for Sokka to join him at the low table. 

“Come, share some tea. It will sooth you…”

“I don’t want TEA… I want answers!”

The grey-haired man frowned lightly and set his cup down, gazing steadily at Sokka for a long moment before looking to the sleeping form of his nephew with a look of helpless concern… It was the gaze of a father that was powerless to aid his child…

“You gave us quite a scare when you jumped over the edge like that… Zuko was lucky that he was able to get to you so quickly and pull you out of the water…”

Sokka felt himself flop back against the metal wall, his eyes wide as he stared back at Iroh disbelievingly. Zuko had saved him? Risked himself to keep him alive…?

…But…

“…Why?”

Iroh drew in a soft breath and frowned at Sokka, his brows knit gently with what seemed like hurt.

“… I know you do not trust the Fire Nation… and I cannot say I blame you… But we are not all the monsters that this war has portrayed us as... Least of all my nephew.”

“Yeah… sure…” Sokka made a low sputtering noise and rolled his eyes. “You don’t honestly think I’m going to believe Zuko helped me THIS time out of the ‘goodness of his heart’, do you? I’m nothing but property to him! He just didn’t want to lose something he could sell!”

“That is NOT true!” Iroh’s voice was firm now, angry and swollen with emotion. He stood from the table and walked over to Sokka, frowning once more as the Water Tribesman shrank back, tensing for an attack.

“We are not slave owners… We never have been. Prince Zuko is merely keeping you as a means of drawing out the Avatar. No… I do not believe it is the best course of action… nor do I think he should feel so painfully driven to go after the boy… But he is a stubborn young man, and I hope to help him along the right path… Perhaps you could help as well.”

Sokka furrowed his brows, quickly shifting his gaze from Iroh to Zuko and back again, his own voice hushed when he spoke.

“I don’t get it… You make it seem like he’s not involved in this war… But HE’S the one who came and attacked my village! How am I supposed to trust him?!”

This time, Iroh allowed Sokka the glimpse of a soft smile, his voice gentle, even hopeful.

“Do not judge my nephew solely on his mistakes... but on his small triumphs as well. You are right; he attacked and captured you... Yet he took it upon himself to dive in after you. We Fire Benders are not built for the cold… We can use our flame to keep us alive for a short time, but it takes its toll on our bodies. He risked his own survival to get you…”

“I’ve swam these waters before… I didn’t need him to help me…” Sokka mumbled with a prideful pout.

Iroh laughed lightly, reaching to pat Sokka on the shoulder. 

“I have no doubts that you could have escaped… Had we not been in the middle of the ocean. Do remember that you were without clothing or shelter... The only place you could have returned to before freezing would have been the ship anyway…”

Sokka huffed lightly and looked down. It was true… He hadn’t thought it all the way through before panic had launched him over the edge of the rail and into the frigid water… He might have been able to swim to an iceberg, but he had no clothing or means of keeping himself sheltered or warm… It would only have been a matter of time, and not much time at that, before he’d frozen.

“…So… you’re expecting me to thank him for saving me?” He asked quietly, even ruefully, as he glanced back up at the older man.

Iroh shook his head and grinned wide now. “You’re both far too stubborn for that!” He laughed warmly before his expression sobered. “Just… Try not to judge him so harshly… Prince Zuko has enough worry of how people perceive him. He’s such a proud young man… That pride too often gets in his own way. He needs people who accept him for his faults as much as his better qualities.”

Sokka watched Iroh for a long moment before letting out a sigh and bowing his head, glancing idly at the sleeping form on the futon. He wasn’t sure what to say… He couldn’t just take one selfless good deed and make all his anger and distrust for the young Prince vanish… He just couldn’t! But still, he gave a small nod and lifted a hand to rub the back of his head.

“… I’ll try…”

Smiling once more, Iroh pat Sokka on the shoulder and moved for the door.

“Rest some more, enjoy the tea. I’m sure you still must be very hungry so I’ll inform the cook that you’re awake and bring you something to eat that will warm your bones.”

“…Meat?!”

Sokka couldn’t help himself from asking. The mere mention of food made him realize what a hollow pit his stomach had become and it growled almost pitifully.

Iroh chuckled and nodded lightly before exiting the room and gently closing the door behind him.

Once alone… or, rather, alone with Zuko… Sokka took a moment to assess himself and his surroundings once more. He was dressed again (who had dressed him?!) and noticed that the clothing was all Fire Nation garb. Not the most pleasant thing to be wearing for a warrior who’d lived his whole life in hatred and distrust of that place… but it was better than being naked. The outfit was simple really; a pair of black uniform pants that were loose on his narrow hips, but the material was heavy and kept him warm, and a loose shirt of the same dark reddish clay color he’d seen Zuko wearing earlier. It was a small relief to know he hadn’t been naked in bed with the Prince… He’d never live such embarrassment down!

Glancing towards the other teen, he noticed with relief that Zuko was dressed in a similar fashion. Looser clothes meant to be easily slept in, but made of a heavier material for warmth… After a dive into the icy water, he could understand the need to conserve heat, even in a warm ship like this. 

As if he felt himself being watched, Zuko stirred and shifted a bit so that he could tiredly glance over his shoulder towards Sokka. The pair sat in utter silence, staring and calculating each other in the dimly lit room before Zuko sighed and moved to sit up, the blanket pooling over his legs. He glanced towards the table and made a soft, snort like noise, voice a bit raw when he spoke, as if his throat was dry.

“… My Uncle was here?”

Sokka nodded lightly, his body still tense, though he remained good on his word not to instantly assume or accuse Zuko of anything… For now.

“Yeah… He left to get some food for us.”

Zuko only nodded mildly and lifted one hand to wearily rub his face, lightly massaging the tension from his scalp and along the scar tissue that covered his left eye and ear. 

Sokka’s innate curiosity ached to know how he’d gotten the scar, but he remained awkwardly silent. It wasn’t everyday one got trapped aboard a ship at sea with his enemy… Casual chit-chat seemed bizarre.

Sokka’s silent gaze boring into him, Zuko’s golden eyes shifted and fixed on the Inuit once more, his gaze stern. 

“… Why do you keep staring at me? It’s just a scar, ok?!”

The younger teen jumped slightly before his own temper got the better of him.

“I wasn’t staring! I was just making sure you don’t plan of throwing a fireball at me, ok?!”

“Why would I do that after I…?!” Zuko started at a shout but cut himself off and looked away with a scowl. “Oh, forget it…”

Sokka blinked, realizing yet again that Zuko was holding himself back… But why? He let out a noisy sigh and flopped back against the metal wall, idly gazing off to the side. 

Minutes of silence stretched out between the two before Zuko finally spoke again, his voice low and tinged with begrudged discomfort. 

“…Do you… want some tea?”

Sokka’s blue eyes rose to look across the room at the fire bender who was now moving out of bed and over to the short table, already pouring two cups of tea and nudging one across the wood towards him. The younger man took a slow, steadying breath and shifted to push himself up off the wall, moving towards the table before sinking down cross-legged across from his captor, taking the cup without a word and drinking its contents in a display of trust that it wasn’t poisoned. Zuko’s lips quirked just slightly at the corners, a look of wry amusement on his face, before bringing the cup in his hand to his lips and drinking the warm brew.

Though silent in their actions, their delicate truce was understood by both.

TBC


	4. Confessions and Considerations

Two days later, Sokka said goodbye to the Southern Waters…

He hadn’t realized the amount of hope he’d been holding inside him… a hope of freedom… until he’d walked out onto the broad, dark, gunmetal deck of Zuko’s ship only to notice that the few dotted icebergs left in view were now miles behind them and growing smaller by the moment… 

Sokka leaned against the side rail of the ship, his head turned towards the stern, gazing longingly after the icy mountains that had marked his home and everything familiar to him. He’d never left the South Pole before, and although he’d been eager to join his father in battle… it was a bittersweet parting to know his first voyage away from his family was not the journey of a warrior, but of a prisoner… a slave.

Since he’d jumped ship, Zuko had remained within eyesight of Sokka at all times… As if he couldn’t trust the younger teen to be alone… Especially when he was on deck! It was annoying in a way. Like having a fussy Arctic Hen blustering about you and ruffling its feathers up every time you made a move it didn’t agree with. Still… it was almost endearing that the Prince was being so watchful over him.

‘As endearing as a slave owner guarding his property can be!’ Sokka quickly reminded himself and shot the Prince a ‘what are you looking at?!’ glare when Zuko happened to pop his head around the side of the ship to check on Sokka’s whereabouts. The fire bender blinked at the haughty expression and arched his brows slightly with a roll of his eyes and a slight scowl before turning back to finish his discussion with the helmsman.

Sokka smirked and felt himself puff up. Zuko wasn’t so tough! He could totally take him!

Well… Until Zuko started throwing fire at him again… Cause that had kinda sucked! 

Maybe he could find something to use as a shield… or even fire proof his clothes! Yeah~ That would teach Prince Pain in the Ass a lesson! It had to be doable, right? It only seemed practical that fire benders would treat their own clothes with SOMETHING to reduce the chances of being burned when they used their flame…

Sokka hooded his eyes thoughtfully with one brow highly arched, idly stroking his jawline to his chin with an index finger and thumb. “… Yeah, that could work…”

“What are you planning this time? Another daring leap? I don’t think it will end much better for you this time than it did the last time…” Iroh’s warm, age weathered voice came up behind him, followed by a gentle, good natured chuckle. Sokka glanced over at the older man and although he hated to admit any sort of fondness towards a member of the Fire Nation… and the royal family at that… There was something undeniably likable about Iroh. His gentle voice and wise words just made the world seem a little less lonely for Sokka… and his situation a fraction less bleak. 

He still didn’t trust the man further than he could throw him… and with Iroh’s… well, girth, that wouldn’t be far at all! But still…

“Not exactly, though once we hit warm waters you’ll have a hard time stopping me!”

The old General arched a bushy brow lightly and smirked as he moved to stand beside the rail a few feet from the Water Tribesman, allowing Sokka his space. 

“Oh? You are in that much of a hurry to be a snack for the ocean beasts?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that back home I out-swam a polar leopard!”

“Did you? I was under the impression that polar leopards couldn’t swim…” Iroh shot Sokka a challenging grin.

The younger man scoffed and waved his hands in the air dramatically, his voice cracking as the pitch of his voice elevated. 

“Ok! So maybe they can’t! But I still got away from it! How many people can say THAT?!” Sokka puffed up again, self-assured that his escape from the claws of death that day was impressive… Iroh didn’t need to know the actual humiliating details of how he’d run screaming into the water like a little girl… He’d been young, damn it!! 

Iroh chuckled again and gazed out across the wide expanse of cerulean water, his demeanor softening with a hint of what Sokka could only imagine was concern… or perhaps dismay. He turned to regard Sokka with a bit of somber sadness.

“You are truly set against staying with us then?”

Sokka blinked at that, his brows creeping high up along his brow as his eyes widened with startled surprise at the question. It was so… unreal! Why would Iroh even ask such a thing? Obviously Sokka didn’t want to be aboard this ship… Chained by intimidation alone to a kid only two years older than him!! Talk about humiliating!

“Oh noooo~ Why would you think that? This whole ‘do what I say or die’ game is so much fun!”

He spouted in an overly airy and facetious manner, giving the older man a large, forced grin. Sokka’s sarcasm was not lost on Iroh and the aged bender sighed low, gazing back out to sea. He gently stroked the hair at his chin in a thoughtful, perhaps troubled manner before speaking once more, his voice as gentle and un-tempered as usual.

“I hope that you come to realize you are not the only one who misses his home and cannot return… My nephew also seeks to return to the life he once knew, but is powerless to do so…”

Sokka blinked a bit, furrowing his brows. 

“What do you mean, powerless? He’s the prince, right? Lord Fire Britches put ol’ Zuky in time out or something?”

“… Not quite…” Iroh murmured, un-amused, “My brother banished Prince Zuko and set him on an impossible task… Without the Avatar, my nephew can never return home and find peace within himself…”

Sokka frowned a bit, his ‘humor’ absent for the time being. He leaned heavy on the metal rail, gazing down at the rippled wake moving away from the side of the ship, creating a repetitive V shape over and over. As much as he disliked the Fire Nation… he actually knew very little about the goings on there… Only what he’d seen and heard through raids over the years. The idea of the Fire Lord banishing his son, for whatever reason, only to redeem him if he brought in the world’s last hope of peace… well… It sounded distinctly ‘Fire Nation’ to him and Sokka scowled lightly. But WHY had Zuko been banished? True he was stuck up and short-fused, but Sokka could say that for almost every fire bender he’d met, minus Iroh…

So why Zuko…?

“.. The Fire Lord plans to kill Aang… doesn’t he?”

Iroh’s gaze moved back to the young Inuit and he made a face Sokka could only describe as well-placed worry.

“I cannot begin to fathom what goes on in my brother’s mind… but whatever his intentions for the Avatar, they won’t be good. The boy is the key to the world’s freedom from this war… and with it, the key to Fire Lord Ozai’s downfall. What would you do, if you stood to lose the world you’ve conquered to a child?”

Sokka swallowed hard, bowing his head slightly and tensing his shoulders. He might not have been very keen on Aang… but he didn’t want the kid dead… The world needed Aang alive. 

He was their last hope.

“Is that… what Zuko wants too? To keep the war going until the Fire Nation controls everything?”

His voice was low, but steel edged. He wouldn’t stand by idly and be a slave to a new tyrant in training. Not when he could stop Zuko now, before he took his place on the throne.   
“As I mentioned before…” Iroh murmured quietly, “Prince Zuko is troubled and confused. He doesn’t know what he wants yet, or what his path is. But I know this… My nephew is NOT his father’s son! Trust me when I tell you there is good in him… he only needs the chance to find it in himself.”

He reached out to touch Sokka’s shoulder, smiling as for once Sokka didn’t tense up at the contact.

“Please… look past your own hatred of our people and see Zuko as a man apart from his nation… I am sure you will see the mask he wears is only one of foolish young pride…”

Sokka stared long and hard at the older man, apprehension and uncertainty still heavy in his gaze, but he straightened from the rail and tipped his head in a curt nod. 

“… I’ll play nice for now… But if he does anything to hurt my people again, or any other innocent lives… then he’ll have a personal enemy right here on this ship…. And if that time comes… I won’t stop until he’s no longer a threat to anyone…”

TBC


	5. From the Frying Pan to the Fire

Zuko had been keeping to himself for the most part… 

He didn’t know how to handle this prisoner. He’d never had someone his own age around since his banishment and it was easier to boss around a group of older men that he knew were obligated to obey him than a punk teenager trying to vex him at every step.

Zuko had tried the role of the firm, but patient captor.

…But that hadn’t worked well…

He’d gone for sheer force and threatening, and had nearly lost the younger teen to the icy sea.

…So that was pointless…

Now, he tried aloof attentiveness, as awkwardly backward as that was.

BUT! It seemed to be getting him better results! By remaining around Sokka, but not in his face demanding answers, he was finding that day by day, the darker-skinned young man was becoming less tense at his presence… even cracking jokes at his expense… but they weren’t as harsh as they’d originally been.

Still… he could do without all the crass nicknames Sokka had gotten into the habit of addressing him by… His Great Grumpiness being one of the choice ones he couldn’t stand.  
And yet, even with having to keep his temper in check and let his uncle do most of the talking for him, Zuko actually found it rather nice to have someone his age around. The crew was no picnic... Though, thinking about it rationally, neither was he. Zuko had no interest in PaiSho games or music night. He couldn’t play anything very well and refused to sing. As for dancing… well… Dancing with the cook just didn’t appeal to him.

Even with Sokka starting to unwind a bit, Zuko wasn’t foolish enough not to feel the Inuit’s eyes on him all the time… analyzing every order he made, his eyes full of distrust and suspicion. It was unnerving to say the least. He’d never been so critically analyzed by anyone but his father! Though Ozai judged him swiftly and without much thought…

Sokka, however, was intent… Calculating, even. 

He said nothing when he heard Zuko giving orders of which villages to search and how much force to use. But, even without words, he could feel the burn of Sokka’s disapproving gaze drilling into his back.

They had yet to reach Earth Nation waters… but it would only take another day or so. That brought on a whole new set of problems… None of his family was very well liked in the Earth Nation (boy, was that the understatement of a lifetime!) and as such they would have more trouble getting information out of the citizens of the great kingdom. Then there was the issue of how LARGE the Earth Nation was. It would take weeks, maybe even months to search it all! Especially, if the Avatar kept moving around and going into hiding... 

But that wouldn’t stop Zuko, no… He’d hunt the Avatar to the ends of the Earth! It didn’t matter how long it took so long as in the end he got to go home…

His brooding distracted him as he stood on the outlook deck only a few feet under the crow’s nest, gazing out across the vast ocean; his troubled thoughts blocking out the fact that he wasn’t alone anymore.

“Hey! Master Disaster!!! SNAP OUT OF IT!” 

Sokka’s voice all but hollered in his ear, making Zuko jump and fall back against the rail, his eyes wide and utterly bewildered. He blinked quickly a few times, trying to get his bearings and figure out just HOW Sokka had snuck up on him… He wasn’t the stealthiest of sneak-attackers Zuko had found out in the last few weeks. In fact, Sokka was downright awful at being sneaky!

Sokka’s brows had inched up his brow again and a large, overly amused grin was spreading across his lips until Zuko swore he could almost see ALL of the other teen’s teeth!

“Well… T-that was graceful!” Sokka snorted before breaking out into a gale of delighted laughter.

Zuko slumped a bit, looking away with a low huff. He gathered his feet under him again and smoothed out his clothes, trying to regain at least a fraction of dignity. It figured that his first ‘slave’ could turn him into a practical joke. 

“…What do you want? I thought I gave orders to be left alone!” Zuko grumbled snippily, his eyes narrowed on the slightly younger man.

Sokka seemed un-phased by Zuko’s glare and tone, still cackling to himself like a Sea Raven and pointing at the begrudged Prince.

“I totally got you! Oh man, that was priceless! You should have seen your face!!” Sokka dramatically wiped a few joy infused tears from the corners of his eyes. “Ah~ That’ll be a memory for years to come!”

“T-that’s ENOUGH!” Zuko shouted with a blaze of fire bursting from his lips like dragon’s breath. Embarrassment had quickly morphed back into anger and his short fused temper had hit the end of its’ rope.

Sokka jumped this time, eyes wide and hands up in some… strange… karate-like pose. It would have done him little good in a real fight; he was completely open! Zuko’s narrowed eyes softened slightly and he sighed heavily, looking to the sky as if seeking guidance or just plain patience before glancing back at Sokka, his voice still edged, but level now.

“What is it you want?”

Slowly, Sokka relaxed his guard and put his arms back down, a single brow arched untrustingly. Facing Zuko cautiously, he leaned his hip into the metal rail. “… Don’t you ever get tired of being THAT high strung ALL the time?” 

Zuko rolled his eyes at the other’s comment and leaned onto the rail, bracing himself on his elbows and clasping his hands tightly together.

“I’m not high strung, I just prefer things to have a certain order to them. I expect to be respected by my servants and my orders obeyed! I am a Prince and I will be treated as such!” Zuko barked firmly, his voice strained as he wringed his fingers together and glared over the vast, seemingly unending spance of blue before them.

“I guess… But you’re not MY Prince…” Sokka murmured lightly, his blue eyes holding Zuko level.

The comment grated on Zuko further and he felt himself bristle, his jaw clenching tight enough that it made his back teeth ache in protest. Somehow, he managed to keep his voice low, and his flame bottled within. 

“… Perhaps not… but I still expect you to obey me as one so long as you’re aboard MY ship, eating MY food…. Or would you prefer to be a prisoner again and go back to bread and water in the brig?”

Sokka made a sour face and turned his head away, looking down at his bare feet quietly. He didn’t like being labeled a ‘slave’… but as one on this ship, he was allowed a bit more freedom than as a prisoner. And Zuko hadn’t laid a hand on him all this time… So long as he obeyed, then peace was sustained between them.

“Fine, fine… I’ll play it your way… But don’t expect me to act like I enjoy being property to a guy like you…” Sokka scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Zuko rolled his eyes but remained quiet. He couldn’t say why… but the Inuit’s words had stung. It wasn’t that he WANTED Sokka as his property, but he didn’t like the inclination of Sokka’s words that we was inherently a bad person. He had his flaws… but…

He shook his head with a sigh.

“Why did you come up here?” He asked again, hoping Sokka might actually answer him this time without getting side-tracked.

Sokka blinked and perked up slightly, as if he’d forgotten entirely and it had just dawned on him once more what his initial mission had been. 

“Oh, yeah! The helmsman wanted me to tell you that there’s already a Fire Nation fleet in Earth Nation waters and they’re demanding that we stop to be boarded and ‘inspected’ first before we enter the Earth Nation? I dunno, it sounds fishy to me… Like they expect you’re hiding something.” Sokka shrugged lightly, though his tone was laced with suspicion.

Zuko’s eyes widened at this news and he jerked, standing upright as he glared at the slightly younger teen. 

“What?! On whose order do we have to stop?!”

Sokka blinked and took a step back, his hands lifted in defensive placation.

“Hey! Don’t shoot the messenger, sheeh!”

“Who?!” Zuko barked again, his fury igniting as sparks spilled from his lips.

Sokka furrowed his brows and frowned at how unstable Zuko was, his hands moving to rest on his hips as he sighed.

“… Some guy named Zhao…”

TBC


	6. Learning to Play the Game

Zuko rushed from the observation deck to the control room, barging in with a slamming of the heavy metal door and locking his glare on the helmsman and the rest of his crew unfortunate enough to be present.

“Who was the one that talked to Commander Zhao?!”

The older fire benders tensed at their Prince’s anger, but none spoke up or stepped forward. Zuko balled his fists, smoke rising from his hands as he prepared to strike at all of them, but was stalled by his uncles voice drifting up from the large PaiSho table set up at the back of the room.

“I am the one that told Zhao we would be happy to accommodate his wishes Prince Zuko… We mustn’t forget to be polite…” Iroh murmured with complete calm, reaching out to place another tile on the board.

Zuko bared his teeth, walking over to the low table and slamming his boot-covered foot down on top of it, sending the loose tiles scattering, much to his uncle’s dismay.

“I am NOT stopping for him! He has no jurisdiction in these waters! Why should we have to accommodate his wishes?! He’s only going to slow us down! The Avatar could get away!”

Iroh looked at the now ruined game and took a heavy breath, frowning softly.

“… I was winning that game too…”

“UNCLE!”

The older man lifted his hands in placation, his aged face turning upwards to gaze at his irate Prince. 

“…Take it easy my nephew… If we did not honor the traditions of the Fire Nation Navy, Zhao would become suspicious and be further bothersome to our journey. I see no harm allowing him to delay us a short time if it means keeping him off our trail while we search the Earth Kingdom.”

“…Makes sense to me…” Sokka piped in from where he stood in the open doorway, his expression mild as he ignored the glares from the rest of the crew… Obviously they felt his opinion was meritless and he’d be better off keeping his mouth shut.

Zuko turned to glare at Sokka, his rage still on a steady boil, but he couldn’t deny that his Uncle made a valid point. If they could appease Zhao at sea… then there would be less chance that he’d make trouble for them while they searched on land… The last thing he needed was a serpent like Zhao slithering in and claiming the Avatar as HIS prize before   
Zuko had the chance… Zhao had more men at his disposal as well… Loyal men. He’d be able to cover more ground far more efficiently. Zuko sighed, resigned, and nodded   
mildly, lifting his foot off the PaiSho board and turning to his crew. 

“We will allow the Commander to board and inspect us as he wishes too… But no one will mention the Avatar. The last thing we need is Zhao hounding our every step… Is that clear?!” He barked his orders firmly, not surprised when he got only half-hearted agreements or mild nods from the crew. They weren’t loyal… that was almost too painfully clear. But they were the only crew Zuko had and for now, he’d have to hope they obeyed his commands.

He snorted and made his way out of the control room, shouldering past Sokka roughly as he went to his own room to think in private.

Sokka watched after him quietly and knit his brows together gently. His gaze flickered to the crew who still eyed him with distaste, as if Sokka was putting off a foul smell. The Water Tribesman quickly sniffed at himself, not noticing his smell being anything out of the ordinary. He glanced up and noticed Iroh smiling lightly at him and patting one of the empty pillows beside the now righted PaiSho board. Knowing that Iroh was the only one on the ship that seemed to actually enjoy his presence there, the younger man moved forward and sat, cross-legged on the worn pillow, looking at the board with puzzlement but curiosity. 

“… I could teach you… Zuko certainly is not interested in an old man’s game, but PaiSho holds many secrets!”

Sokka nodded, resting his hands on his bent thighs and gazing at the board somberly. He’d rather be doing something more worth-while, but perhaps learning a new game would break up the monotony until they got to land. He listened quietly as Iroh explained the purpose of the game, and the importance of each tile piece. It was a lot to take in, but Sokka had always been quick to learn and picked it up after several short games. Now on their fifth game, he was beginning to hold his own, and Iroh praised him as though he would a child. It made Sokka smile a little, but also feel incredibly outmatched. As Iroh sat and contemplated his next move, the Inuit looked over at the old General and furrowed his brows, keeping his voice low.

“… Why does Zuko seem to have such a bug up his butt about this Zhao guy? Or does he act the same way to anyone challenging his authority?”

Iroh sighed gently, carefully setting down his tile and reaching to stroke his beard.

“There are many people who would prefer Zuko never complete his task and be allowed home… and Commander Zhao is one of the most vocal with this opinion… He sees my nephew as weak, and unfit to take the throne as Fire Lord… He’ll do next to anything to further shame Zuko… and keep his banishment permanent…”

Sokka looked down quietly, slowly turning a tile piece in his fingers and thinking about what it would be like to have people from his own tribe conspiring to keep him from going home… Especially for no fault of his own, simply their greed. It made sense why Zuko was always so angry… so mistrusting of everyone… It would be hard to put faith in anyone when even those closest to you didn’t want you to succeed. 

His blue eyes lifted and he looked seriously at Iroh, keeping his voice low.

“Do you think that Zhao will hunt down the Avatar too?”

“Yes, he would gain much honor and prestige in the Fire Nation if he succeeded where Zuko failed…” Iroh frowned and shook his head gently. “And my nephew… He would never be able to show his face to his father again…”

Sokka nodded and reached out, placing the tile in his hand at the center of the board before he stood. 

“Then it sounds like what we need is a strategy… I don’t want to see anyone get hurt… but Zuko should be allowed to go home…” He nodded mildly at Iroh and turned, walking out of the control room. 

Iroh was surprised that the Water Tribesman would want to help… but at the moment, they needed all the support they could get. His eyes returned to the PaiSho board, preparing to clear it when he noticed what final tile Sokka had laid, ending the game.

The White Lotus…

TBC


	7. Monsters at Sea

Commander Zhao's battleship was in plain view now, looming ever closer like the giant black head of an unagi waiting for the right moment to lunge forward and swallow Zuko's smaller ship up with one snap of it's toothy jaws... It made the young Prince groan in distressed frustration and slam his palms down on the frame of his window, the mental glowing red from the heat of Zuko's hands.

As if his mission wasn't already delayed enough as it was, now he had to deal with the most ruthless snake under his fathers command! A man that would as soon shake his hand and pretend to be his friend as hang him as a traitor to the nation... Either way, it didn't bode well.

Sokka walked to the Prince's room and glanced through the slight opening in the door, peering at the back of his captor. It was strange... The image he saw was of both a man... and a child. Zuko's body was tense and rigid, but he trembled ever so slightly. Sokka had felt that way himself many times after watching his father sail off to war... Having to be the man, the soldier his father needed him to be.... but still just a boy himself.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, slowly approaching Zuko and reaching out to grasp his shoulder. His fingertips brushed the fabric of Zuko's shirt and suddenly his world turned on it's side, his body slammed down to the floor and the weight of the Prince's body pressing him down so that he couldn't move away. Zoku glared down at him, teeth bared, hair partially loose from his topknot and hanging around his fiery golden eyes. They were close.... so close Sokka could feel the other teen's breath on his face.

A long moment paused with them locked in a staring contest; Zuko all silent fury, and Sokka startled uncertainty. Neither moved, nor spoke... Neither breathed.

Slowly, Zuko loosened his grip on Sokka's shirt and leaned up a bit, his voice ragged and low.

".... Do NOT feel sorry for me...."

Sokka swallowed slowly and shook his head a bit, his own voice low, but steady.  
"... I don't.... I just... GET you now." He furrowed his brows, shrugging halfheartedly. "Well, sort of..."

Zuko tilted his head slightly, still kneeled astride the Inuit's chest, keeping him pinned to the floor.

"Get me? What exactly is there to GET?!" The fire bender snapped defensively, his golden eyes burning holes of hatred into the younger teen.

Sokka lifted his hands in defense, keeping his voice low. "...Take it easy! I just meant... we kinda come from the same clothe..."

The young Prince snorted a soft laugh, grabbing a fistful of Sokka's shirt and murmuring low as he leaned in closer to the younger man's face. "... Don't fool yourself into thinking we're the same, peasant... I tolerate you... Nothing more."

Those words ran Sokka through as sharp and cold as a blade. The past few weeks of cautious interaction and growing understanding for the older teen destroyed in the one breath it took Zuko to speak such hurtful words. He remained laying on his back, blue eyes wide as he stared up at the fire bender with his lips parted on a pained gasp that never quite made it past his throat. Shock quickly boiled into anger and Sokka grit his jaw, slapping Zuko's hand off his shirt and leaning up firmly so they nearly knocked heads. They ended up a breath apart, Sokka's cobalt eyes staring down the golden ones of his re-affirmed enemy.

"You.... Stuck-up, high-bred, ASS-!!"

He was cut off by a crewman suddenly pushing open the door, pausing a little stunned as he looked at the two young men in a half grapple on the floor. Zuko felt his face heat up with embarrassment and slammed his palms into Sokka's chest, knocking the wind out of the younger man and throwing him back flat on the floor once again.

" W-WHAT?!" He yelled at the crewman who immediately jumped to attention.

"P-Prince Zuko! Commander Zhao has boarded our ship and wishes to speak with you! Should I... tell him you need a moment?" He asked with obvious discomfort.

Zuko snorted and pushed up onto his feet, brushing off his clothes to smooth them out.

"No need... I'll be there in a moment. Get him cleaned up and back in line with the rest of the crew..." Zuko muttered, stepping over Sokka and walking out of the room to get washed up and put on his uniform.

Sokka leaned up, panting low, his chest tight from adrenaline and rage. He glared after Zuko, shaking off the crewman as he tried to haul Sokka onto his feet. He stood on his own and turned to storm out of the room towards his own, small cabin. He was done trying to be nice... Shitty up-bringing or not, Zuko had no right to treat him as garbage and he'd be sure the High and Mighty Fire-Face learned that!

\----

Zhao stood tall in full soldier regalia atop the smaller ship's deck, looking both impatient and mildly put off to be dealing with Ozai's banished heir once again... But, in truth, a majority of him loved these moments... Being able to push his rank around... push Zuko's buttons and rub verbal salt in his emotional wounds just to get a rise out of the young Prince who knew better than to fight back and risk further scorn from his father back home.

Ah, yes... It may have taken the Commander out of his way... but it was well worth it to see the Prince squirm 'under his boot' as it were.

The tall soldier turned as he spotted Zuko walking up the lower level stairs onto the deck in his own uniform, looking agitated and surly as ever. Zhao couldn't help but smile slowly. This was going to be too easy... Zuko was always such an easy target when he was in one of his 'moods'.

Zuko moved onto the deck with strong purposeful strides, his crew filing in behind him and bowing respectfully at the Commander. Sokka was the last one on deck, dressed in only a loose pair of red-clay colored pants and a white v-cut work shirt. It was not the best outfit he'd worn by far, but it kept him covered and looking like a low-ranked crewman at least. He stood at the end of the line, not bothering to bow and instead fiddling with his loose hair to tie it back up into it's usual wolf-tail.

Sokka's dark complexion and lack of respect did not go unnoticed by Zhao.

"Prince Zuko... It seems you've been picking up stragglers along your journey..." Zhao nodded towards Sokka who now stood glaring bitterly towards the Prince's back.

Zuko glanced over his shoulder, taking note of the Inuit's fierce gaze and snorting lightly. "He's just a prisoner I captured in the Southern Water Tribe... Pay him no attention."

Sokka overheard both firebenders and scowled, barely containing his urge to pick up a nearby mop bucket and wing it at the back of Zuko's head. How dare Fire Britches insult him!!!

Zhao arched his thick-lined brows and grinned a sly, dark grin, his voice low.

"I see... rather brazen of you... to allow a prisoner to walk about freely on your ship, Prince Zuko..."

Zuko tensed a bit, knowing that smile too well, and feeling a cold chill tip-toe up his spine at the crafty edge to Zhao's tone. "... He works with the crew... so that he's more useful to me than he would be rotting away in the brig..."

Zhao glanced back at Zuko before walking towards the darker-skinned teen. Sokka felt all the hairs on his arms and neck stand on end, instinctively not liking this man... He swallowed and stepped back a bit from the line of crewman, edging away from the approaching bender, his fists balling up, wishing he had his boomerang to defend himself with.

"Zhao!"

Zuko had turned, looking over at the Commander's back and doing his best to remain civil with one of his father's favored military leaders. Iroh had been standing by quietly, watching the interaction between his nephew and the boorish older bender. He'd never cared much for Zhao and his ruthless tactics... He was unbalanced and it showed in his short temper and merciless regard to those weaker than him... Still, Iroh knew better than to offend the Commander openly and make trouble for his young nephew, so, clearing his throat, he stepped forward to intervene.

"What is your purpose for boarding us on such a lovely day, Commander? I would hate to think you were so bored that you had to stop us simply to assess my nephew's choice in crew...."

The seasoned soldier laughed mildly, reaching out to grasp Sokka's chin and smirking with amusement when the water tribesman quickly slapped his hand away and glowered up at him like a cornered dog; both fearful and foolishly bold in baring his teeth. It was a bold move he'd soon regret dearly.

"I may choose to stop any ship whenever I please and for whatever reason... Your 'Prince' is a disgrace to the Fire Nation and was planning on sailing through one of MY blockades into the Earth Nation waters... If I were so inclined, General Iroh, I would be completely within my right to sink this miserable ship!" Zhao replied in a cold, smooth tone, glancing over at the aged bender and lightly clasping his hands behind his back to push his chest out and forward.

"You wouldn't DARE! My father would have your head if you harmed me OR my Uncle!" Zuko raged, formality forgotten.

Iroh merely frowned tensely, knowing better.

Commander Zhao laughed heartily, but it was a cruel, vindictive sound. "You're father? HA! You have no idea what your father truly thinks of you OR your uncle, do you, young 'Prince'?" He sneered the last word as though it left a foul taste on the tip of his tongue.

The older man turned his gaze back to Sokka, freely roaming his eyes over the Inuit's frame, sizing him up for more than just a fight or labor.

"Your father is the one that ordered you kept away... And he's commanded that order to be enforced by ANY means necessary... He would consider it a weight off his shoulders if he NEVER had to concern himself with your return to the Fire Nation..." The soldier murmured with amusement.

"Zhao, you go TOO far!" Iroh barked with anger, knowing that the Commander's words would wound his beloved nephew far deeper than any weapon.

Zuko stood, frozen in place, his eyes wide as his carefully constructed emotional and mental armor cracked under such blows. "... T-that... is not true..."

"No...?" Zhao smirked darkly, still facing the young prisoner. It made Sokka's skin crawl and he tried to step back again, his butt hitting the side rail of the ship, halting his retreat. Despite his own grievances with Zuko... he felt a strange need to defend him against Zhao's verbal assault.

"No father would ever order harm to his own son! Especially not a son as loyal to him as Zuko is!" Sokka growled, his blue eyes narrowed on the Commander.

Iroh and Zuko both seemed to be taken aback, staring at the water tribesman in surprise. Zhao, on the other hand, was hardly amused...

"... A prisoner should know when to hold his tongue... unless he enjoys gambling with his life."

Sokka felt himself swallow a lump in his throat; cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck and under the collar of his shirt. He knew this man wouldn't restrain himself the way Zuko had... but he wasn't about to back down to a pompous boar like Zhao.

"... Zuko deserves to go home... I'm sure his father wants him back!"

Zhao arched his brows at that and laughed low, the sound rattling in his chest like a snake's hiss. Sokka tensed further and glanced towards Zuko and Iroh, not sure what to do. Iroh still looked surprised, but grateful to the young man for his words. Zuko however... Sokka couldn't read his expression. He seemed wounded... or confused. His eyes were pinned on Sokka, staring at him like he didn't recognize him at all.

His line of sight to the others was quickly cut off as Zhao pressed into his personal space and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, making Sokka jerk and look up into the Commanders hard, ruthless eyes.

"... I like your attitude, boy... It's always the truly spirited prisoners that I take the most pleasure in breaking."

He hauled Sokka clean off his feet and tossed him with one arm alone several feet across the deck and into the hard armored chests of his men. "Take him to the brig! I'll deal with him once we're back on course!"

Sokka's eyes widened and he tried to leap from the arms grabbing him, managing only to bruise himself against metal chest plates and helmets then do any sustainable damage to his captors as he struggled. "LET ME GO!!!"

Fire erupted around the soldiers and several jumped back in surprise, looking over towards their source where Iroh stood, eyes narrowed and blazing with fury.

"Release him NOW!" He barked in a tone that proved the strong, powerful leader he had once been; a tone that left very little room for protest.

The soldiers hesitated, loosening their grips slightly as they fidgeted between obeying orders, and not angering the Dragon of the West. Sokka wrenched himself free as he felt the slight slack, moving to scrabble across the deck and crying out in pain as fire thrown from behind him danced across his feet, making the Inuit trip and crumble onto the ship's deck, gripping at his singed heels. There wouldn't be a scar... but they'd be tender for a day or two.

"Secure that prisoner!" Zhao growled from where he stood, opposite of Iroh and fist still smoking from the fire he'd thrown moments earlier. As his men quickly grabbed hold of Sokka once more and pulled him back, the Commander leveled his gaze on the disgraced General.

"You have a lot of gall, thinking you can command MY men over me..! You may have been a favored soldier in your prime, old man, but you no longer have the loyalty of the Fire Nation army... Nor the right to command them to do ANYTHING!" Zhao shouted the last part, his fuse lit and sparking on the edge of explosion.

Iroh remained collected and still, his voice even but stern as he spoke.

"You have no right to take the boy away, Zhao..."

"He is a Prisoner of War, just as your little Prince stated earlier... and all prisoners caught must be questioned for information on their tribe and war tactics. NOT allowed to roam around like a stray rat throughout your ship. It is obvious that Prince Zuko is unable to perform even the simple act of interrogating a prisoner, so I will take that matter into my OWN hands..."

Zhao motioned for his men to return to their ship with Sokka and prepare to separate. The Commander turned to follow, irritated, but satisfied with claiming the prisoner for himself... as well as leaving Zuko with some new 'wounds' that were sure to fester in the coming days as his self doubt consumed him.

Iroh took another step forward to go after Sokka but paused to look over at his nephew who'd said nothing to stop this.

"Zuko! Are you just going to let him walk away with that boy?!"

The Prince was silently watching after Sokka...

Even against all odds... outnumbered by fire benders and trained soldiers in armor, he thrashed and fought like a cornered beast. Fought to secure his freedom... his honor...

Just as he did.

"ZUKO!"

The Prince blinked at his uncle's shout and looked over, brought out of his thoughts and breathing in a crisp, tight breath. Zhao's ship was already moving away, the distance between them growing. He swallowed and balled his fists at his side before looking over at his uncle, hard determination in his eyes.

"... Uncle... I want you to teach me the new set of fire bending steps..."

Iroh looked at his nephew, both exasperated and confused. "Why?!"

Zuko glanced back towards the larger ship sailing away from them.

"... Because I have been insulted for the last time by that man... I'm going to challenge him to an Agni Kai."

TBC


	8. Seeking Truth

None of Sokka's limited training in battle or the stories he'd heard of the Fire Nation from the warriors of his tribe could have prepared him for a man like Commander Zhao. The older man seemed determined to know Sokka's life story and the history of the Southern Water Tribe to the last detail and he would gladly go about pulling that information out of the teen by any means he deemed necessary.

For his part, Sokka remained stubbornly silent besides the occasional wise-crack or foul mouthed opinion of Zhao and his 'mighty' Fire Lord... but the blows he was sustaining were beginning to wear down on his resolve... It was clear that if he didn't start talking soon... Zhao's 'games' would become permanently disfiguring... if not lethal.

Zhao stepped away from the bruised and bloodied Inuit left slumped and naked on the floor of the brig, grabbing a towel to rub Sokka's blood from his knuckles.

"I'll admit... When I first spotted you, I assumed you were on Zuko's ship to keep him 'company'. I know I certainly have never seen Zuko in the company of a woman other than his traitorous mother... and I doubt he has a taste for older men..."

Zhao chuckled lightly, looking over his shoulder at Sokka as the darker-skinned man pushed himself weakly back onto his knees and spat a mixture of blood and thick mucus-like spit onto the floor.

"You can tell me, you know... I wouldn't judge you for using your body to keep the moody little bastard happy so he didn't keep you locked away..."

Sokka trembled, pain throbbing through him in tempo with his heart, his head and torso feeling like an overripe melon that had been hammered by stones. He swallowed back a bit of his own blood, slowly lifting his eyes to Zhao and grinning slowly, determined not to let this snake have his way.

"... T-That's what you think...? T-that Zuko NEEDS company? H-Heh... you don't know him at all..."

Zhao watched the younger man with a small, patient smile.

"Every man desires companionship, a way to blow off his steam... Even if it is only the temporary release offered by a mud-skinned out-lander..."

Sokka grit his jaw, feeling himself quiver with rage. He was sick and tired of being treated like some piece of filth! He may not have come from a big city... he may not have been born a bender like his sister, but damn it he was a warrior! And though his tribe was small, he was still a Prince in his own right! No one had the right to put him down for where he was born or what he looked like!

Zhao chuckled low, knowing full well he'd struck a particularly large nerve. He wanted to see how long Sokka could resist his pain... fight back before exhaustion or despair claimed him... That was the best part of these 'games'.

"Still... I suppose he could have done much worse in his choice of slaves... Most of you tribesman are so... unfortunate looking..." Zhao murmured low, stepping back over to Sokka and gripping his loose hair to angle his face upward. "... You, however, are not without your charms..."

His eyes hooded mildly as his free hand shifted to Sokka's face, brushing the back of his thick knuckles across Sokka's swollen cheek and down his jaw line to smooth the pad of this thumb over the Inuit's split lower lip.

"In fact... The bruises are an improvement!"

Sokka tensed at the touch that was far too intimate... This interrogation was going from bad to worse... Painful to just plain creepy! He shifted his head to the side and quickly took the Commander's thumb into his mouth, biting down hard enough to feel the joint buckle slightly; fresh blood, not his own, filling his mouth.

Zhao howled and let out a savage curse as he ripped his torn digit from Sokka's teeth, the hand in the water tribesman's hair yanking him up and trowing Sokka across the small room into the metal wall with a thick sounding thud. Sokka flopped back onto the floor, dazed from the impact and momentarily breathless.

"You little ANIMAL!" Zhao snarled as he held his bleeding hand, glaring over at Sokka.

Sokka stirred as the dizziness rattling his brain subsided and he began to push himself up onto one elbow, panting low. He had little chance to recover before Zhao was grabbing him by the throat and hauling him up once more. Sokka gagged on a shout of protest and struggled, wincing as his bare back was slammed onto a hard table, making the various items of 'negotiation' atop it's surface bounce roughly.

Zhao leaned over the pinned Inuit, his stale breath against Sokka's cheek as he growled low. "You know what we do to animals who keep stepping out of line? Who don't know how to OBEY their Masters?" He whispered low, his voice full of fierceness and threat. Sokka squirmed all the same, his brows furrowed as the grip still clamped down around his neck made it almost impossible to breath. Zhao's dark expression turned to one of sinister mirth as his free hand reached out across the table and picked up a branding iron topped with the flame insignia of the Fire Nation, his hand heating the metal to an angry red before he leaned up and jabbed the scalding metal into the tender skin of Sokka's groin, just up and left of his shaft root on his hip . "We BURN them into submission!" He barked out, laughing darkly.

Sokka's anguished scream filled the room, echoing off the metal walls and back at him so that it sounded like not one, but many tortured voices ringing out at once. Almost as quickly as the last of his breath left his lungs, Sokka's eyes rolled back and he went limp, passed out across the table as charred smelling smoke still curled into the air from the scarring burn on his hip.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three days it had taken Zuko to catch up to Zhao's ship... Three days of constant training and growing agitation... uncertainty about the fate of the young man he'd let slip away without a fight... Three days of a churning ache in his gut the more he beat himself up for being so foolish!

It wasn't just the principle that Zhao had openly disrespected him... Though, that was one of the things that made Zuko boil over the most... No matter his title, or his favor with Ozai, Zhao was still ONLY a Commander, and he had gall to treat Zuko as anything less than the Prince he was. It didn't matter that he'd been banished... He was the heir to the Fire Nation by birthright alone! He'd PROVE himself worthy for the throne... one way or another.

No, even with that infuriating disrespect fueling his hatred for the older bender, it was not what drove him to pursue Zhao for days...

...It was Sokka...

When his crew asked him why they were going after a prisoner that had obviously been nothing but a thorn in Zuko's side since he was hauled aboard the ship those few weeks ago; why he would bother chasing down a man he hated, simply to pick a fight, Zuko found he couldn't answer them.

He didn't KNOW why he had to get Sokka back. Didn't understand why, after all the grief and fights the Inuit put him through, Zuko felt driven to rip him from Zhao's claws and make sure Sokka never left his sight again. He'd spent the three long nights in his room, trying to rationalize it... Making himself believe it was because Sokka was his only lead on the Avatar... That he was just holding onto the water tribesman until his usefulness had run out... but... That wasn't true.

Whatever his reason... He just knew he needed Sokka back.

Zuko blinked out of his thoughts as he saw someone move into his peripheral vision, his head turning to lock gazes with his Uncle.

Aside from training, Iroh had said very little to Zuko in the past three days... At first, the young bender thought it was because his uncle was disappointed in him, furious that he'd let Sokka go without a word. He knew how much Iroh favored the dark-skinned teen. But he realized that Iroh wasn't avoiding conversation out of spite, but rather, to allow Zuko to stew on his own actions... and his reasoning behind them.

There was no need for Iroh to chide him... Zuko knew he'd been a fool for allowing Zhao's words to wound him... to stop him from keeping what was important to him. His honor... and his friend.

He blinked and furrowed his brows at sudden realization that, in truth, he missed having Sokka around. The ship was too quiet... too tense without him around to lighten the mood. The crew were still stingy towards Sokka, but even so, they too seemed to miss the levity Sokka wore around him like an all-encompassing aura.

Zuko's lips parted a bit on a weak breath and he turned to his Uncle, wanting to show him that he finally understood, but Iroh lifted his hand mildly and only offered Zuko a small, private smile.

"... Hold to your training, Zuko... Where he has power, you have heart...Strength in your honor as a good man. Zhao is the weaker for lack of that honor."

He turned to look out at the ship they would soon be boarding, his voice soft.

"We'll get him back."

Zuko felt himself genuinely smile as he nodded and turned his golden eyes on the larger black gunmetal war ship, his hand gripping the rail he leaned on tightly with anticipation.

"Yes... We will. Nothing will stop me from taking back what is mine."

TBC


	9. Fighting Fire With Fire

Zhao looked mildly peevish as he stood on the deck of his ship to 'greet' the unwelcome Prince. He'd wanted to simply deny Zuko permission to board... but he knew what the young Prince was there for... and he planned to inflict as many wounds as possible before Zuko left his sight... in as many ways as possible.

"Ah, Prince Zuko, General Iroh... A pleasure, as always."

Zhao murmured with a false smile plastered across his rugged face. The underlying disdain and sarcastic edge to his voice was not unnoticed by either of the royal family. Zuko was done being 'pleasant' to a man that didn't respect him to begin with.

"Wish I could say the same, but such a lie would only leave a bad taste in my mouth..."

Zuko muttered, glancing to his uncle and amused to see the lightest upward curl of the older bender's lips, though he said nothing to chide, nor support Zuko's comment.

Zhao's smile dropped, his lips becoming a thin line and eyes narrowing.

"... I have more important matters to attend to, brat... So, you'd be better off turning around now and getting off my ship."

Zuko's eyes flashed slightly, his anger growing, but he knew to keep a cool head. He'd be no better than Zhao if he let his anger control his every decision.

"I'll leave... AFTER you've returned what is rightfully mine."

The older bender's brows arched and he sputtered on a low laugh. "Rightfully yours?! You mean that useless welp?" Zhao laughed deeper now. "I don't know what you see in him... He's worthless as a pleasure slave, and I doubt he's fit for any labor, now..." The Commander's voice grew dark and sinister as he spoke, watching Zuko's reaction carefully.  
Zuko felt his breath hitch, his stomach doing a slight flip flop at all that Zhao's words entailed. He'd damaged Sokka, that was obvious... Had possibly broken his body in several places... But... Had he really gone so far as to rape the teen?! Zuko grit his jaw against a shudder traveling up his spine.

"Show him to me, Zhao... NOW!"

The smirking Commander snorted and turned his head to look at his men. "Bring out the prisoner... Let the Prince have a good look at him."

Two of the soldiers on deck nodded and went to fetch Sokka from below. Zuko waited with clenched fists and growing dread, his breathing tight. He glanced towards his uncle, seeing the same tension and worry in the former General's eyes.

Sokka grunted as he was tossed at Zhao's feet by the two soldiers hauling him onto the ship deck. He'd been given only water and stale bread the last 3 days and his body showed the results of his meager meals. Aside from being slightly under weight now, he was heavily splotched with bruises and welts overlapping each other, his skin looking more akin in color to an eggplant now. His left ankle was fractured and several fingers broken as well, all lingering reminders of his interrogation, and his fight against Zhao's sexual advances.

He took in a weak breath and slowly glanced up at Zhao before gritting his teeth. Zhao chuckled lightly and reached down, grabbing the broken-in Inuit by his hair and hauling him up onto his good foot to stand, ignoring Sokka's pained shout of protest as his now very tender scalp was yanked on yet again.

"... Your former master is here to fetch you back, dog... Let him look at you. I doubt you're worth anything to him now..." Zhao murmured low at Sokka's ear, making the teen's skin crawl and a light gasp chase the breath from his lips.

Sokka's blue eyes widened as he looked across the ship deck and spotted not only Zuko, but Iroh standing rigidly only a few feet away. Iroh looked horrified, the color having run from his aged face.

... Zuko, however, looked FURIOUS!

"...Z-Zhao..." Zuko's eyes were golden orbs of raging flame, his voice shaking slightly with emotion.

"Not much to look at now, is he, Prince Zuko?... He's got spirit well enough, but he doesn't know how to obey orders... He might have enjoyed himself more if he simply stopped fighting me. Not that it really matters... I like it better when they struggle." Zhao replied in a lofty manner, his serpentine grin exposing his teeth as he looked over Sokka's bare body.

"That's ENOUGH!" Zuko snarled, taking a step forward, his fists clenched and smoke curling out from between his fingers. "I'm taking him back NOW, one way or another, Zhao!"

"Is that a challenge?" Zhao almost purred, his dark eyes glimmering.

"An Agni Kai!" Zuko growled, his body tight with anger. "I challenge you right here and now!"

Zhao laughed and shook his head. "In what world do you think you could best ME?"

"Don't underestimate me, Zhao...." Zuko whispered low, his tone deadly serious.

Sokka furrowed his brows as he looked between the two benders. He didn't know what an Agni Kai was, but he assumed it was a fight... A fight he REALLY didn't want to get caught in the middle of! He glanced from Zhao, who seemed all TOO eager to destroy his own Prince, to Zuko, who amazingly stood without an ounce of fear to him. Where Sokka had too often seen a hot-headed young man now stood a man of absolute resolve and readiness... It was an amazing transformation.

Zhao smirked mildly and pushed Sokka back into the arms of his men once more, Sokka stumbling on his bad ankle and cursing softly as he sagged heavily in the grip of the two guards holding him.

"... Very well... We fight for the slave. When I win, I expect you to leave my ship AND Earth Nation waters and never show your disgraced face to me again... And as for the welp... Well, he stays with me until I find something more 'useful' for him to do..."

Sokka swallowed tightly, looking over at Zuko and Iroh with worry creasing his brow.

"... Agreed." Zuko murmured, holding himself tall. "And if I win, Sokka returns to me, and you, Zhao, never take my title so lightly again..."

Zhao chuckled and turned, ordering his men to clear out and make room for the fight, murmuring low under his breath, "... This will be over with quickly..."

The ship deck was cleared to leave a large open space in the middle, Zhao's crew standing around the side rails of the ship to watch as the two benders prepared themselves for battle. Sokka wanted to be as far away as possible from what he now realized would be a fire fight, but was forced to sit on the deck surface between the two on the sidelines, like some trophy waiting to be claimed.

Iroh sighed low, gazing down at his nephew as he kneeled in traditional starting stance. He didn't want this Agni Kai to end up like the last one for Zuko... but then again, last time, Zuko had refused to fight back. That was not the case this time.

"....Remember your fire bending basics Prince Zuko... They are your greatest weapons."

Zuko's eyes opened, determination set in his gaze.

"I refuse to let him win..." He murmured low, voice steady before he stood and turned to face his opponent.

Zhao stood and turned, the crimson sash across his shoulders falling away as he moved into the 'ring' and stood at the ready. Zuko approached, standing across from the smug Commander and narrowing his eyes before moving into his first attack.

Sokka could only marvel as the two benders clashed. It was clear that Zhao was the more experienced of the two, and had greater starting stamina than Zuko... As the battle unfolded before him, Sokka seriously began to fear that his fate would remain in the cruel hands of the Commander. Zuko, though having a strong start, was steadily being driven backwards, merely fending off the flames surrounding him instead of counter-attacking.

The Inuit glanced over as he heard Iroh shout from the side lines... Something about Basics... and breaking Zhao's root... It was a good piece of advice, but Sokka cringed as Zuko, not Zhao, fell first.

Zuko grunted roughly as he hit the hard deck flat on his back, sucking in a tight gasp as he looked up at Zhao before his eyes quickly flickered to Sokka. The younger man was sitting tense and upright, watching Zuko with an expression both worried, and desperate. But Zuko noticed Sokka's fists clench, and his lips move in such a way as to silently cry 'come on!'.

Zhao was over him, fist raised and fire already crackling from his fingers, sparking along his muscular arm. The younger bender's eyes widened and his breath stilled as, for this great instant, everything slowed and the world seemed to pause on a bated breath.

It was in this moment, Zuko found his clarity.

A roar ripped from his throat as he threw himself back from Zhao's flame, twisting his own body into a quick, low roundhouse that caught Zhao at the ankle and ripped the Commander's balance right out from under him.

Zhao cried out in surprise, stumbling back.

Sokka couldn't help himself as he pumped both his fists into the air and let out a resounding whoop of exhilaration.

Now grounded, confidence restored, Zuko stared down his opponent and smirked, that joyous sound of Sokka's encouragement ringing clear and crisp in his ears.

He would NOT fall again.

Zuko took stance and pivoted his foot forward, sending out a wave of flame from his feet. Zhao stumbled back, trying to correct his footing while quickly avoiding getting his own feet burned, the result of which made him more off balance than before. The heir to the Fire Nation didn't let up for an instant. Step after step, he slammed his feet down, driving the arrogant Commander back further and further. Whenever Zhao seemed to gain a foot hold, Zuko kicked upwards at his chest instead, blasting the older man with heated waves, one after another.

The barrage of strikes proved too much and Zhao stumbled again, this time falling hard to the deck in a weak roll. Still on the defense, Zuko rushed forward, standing over his fallen opponent, and fists in strike position. There was a moment of stillness between the two benders, an internal battle now between Prince and Soldier to determine who was stronger within. The air between them was so tense, even Sokka held his breath.

"DO IT!" Zhao snarled suddenly, his teeth bared and body tensing for pain.

Zuko's muscles flexed and he let out an angry roar, shooting a blast of flame forward. Sokka had expected to hear a cry of pain from the Commander... but none came. Zhao remained unburned, smoke swirling up from the scorched deck just beyond his shoulder.

The Prince took a low breath and straightened his back, resting his arms down at his side, finished.

Zhao blinked, his eyes wild and filled with shocked fury.

"That's IT?! Your father raised a coward!"

Zuko leveled the beaten Commander with his gaze, his posture tall and triumphant.

"Next time you get in my way, I PROMISE... I won't hold back."

With that, Zuko turned, striding across the open deck towards his prize. Sokka glanced up at Zuko as the young bender approached, his pulse quickening slightly. His blue eyes flickered to the side, seeing movement behind the Prince as Zhao stood once more and turned to get in one last strike. Sokka's mouth opened to cry out a warning, but Zhao's attack was cut off no sooner than the flame had left his foot. Iroh's strong grip clamped down on the Commander's foot, squelching out the flame before tossing the large soldier back as effortlessly as if he were a bag of feathers.

Zhao grunted as he went sprawling for the second time. Zuko turned in time to see his uncle fend off the sneak attack, his rage boiling over again as he let out a yell of fury and prepared to make good on his threat only moments before. Iroh, however, quickly stepped between the two, placing his hand on Zuko's bare chest to halt his lunge for the Commander.

"No, Prince Zuko! ... Do not taint your victory..." He murmured soothingly, nodding towards Sokka to remind his nephew of why they were here. Zuko grit his jaw tightly but stood down, taking a low breath and casting one last glare at Zhao before turning to retrieve Sokka.

The Inuit swallowed slightly as he gazed up at the bare-chested bender, his brows weakly furrowed at the stern expression set on Zuko's face. But when the Prince spoke, his voice was low, even gentle.

"... Can you stand?"

Sokka glanced down at his fractured ankle, uncertain, and looked back at Zuko as the fire bender offered the younger teen his hand. Taking it, Sokka shifted his weight onto his good foot and pushed himself up onto both feet, though his injured foot was held up slightly with his weight off it. Zuko kept hold of Sokka's hand, holding him steady as he got up off the deck and looking at his swollen ankle with quiet contemplation. Sokka could tell he was trying to judge if the Inuit could walk on his own and he carefully put his foot down, testing his weight on it.

Pain shot like lightning up his leg and Sokka barely stifled a cry as his ankle and knee tried to buckle. Zuko's arms were around him in an instant, holding him upright and steady, his lips near Sokka's ear, making the younger man blush at the soft caress of warm breath against his skin when his captor-turned-rescuer spoke.

"...If you can walk... Do it. Don't give him the satisfaction of your pain..."

Those words steeled something profound in Sokka. All the pain and humiliation Zhao had put him through... If he showed his pain now, it would only prove to Zhao that he'd won his dirty little game. Sokka tensed and nodded, straightening himself up and ignoring the agonizing protest in his leg as he settled his weight evenly over both feet. Even with his ankle on fire, the small almost proud smile that moved across Zuko's lips gave Sokka the extra boost he needed and when Iroh walked over to join them, he walked off the Commanders ship with his head held high, flanked on either side by the Fire Nations royal family.

Once back on Zuko's smaller ship, the Prince ordered his men to disengage from Zhao's larger battleship and make for the Earth Nation. Sokka held strong until they'd left the Commander in their wake when his leg, unable to hold him any longer, buckled like a snapped twig under his weight and he tumbled forward... But he never hit the deck.  
Sokka blinked as he registered warm, strong arms wrapped around him once again; turning him to be picked up bridal style so that all the pressure was taken off both his legs.   
He turned his head to the side, confronted by Zuko's brilliant golden eyes.

"... Don't worry. I've got you..." Zuko whispered low, easily holding Sokka aloft against his chest.

The younger teen opened his mouth to say something... but there seemed too much to say... And thank you wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. Feeling foolish and at a loss, grateful, and yet still so hurt by all Zuko had done and said before this mess... he closed his mouth again and frowned weakly, closing his eyes as tears he'd held back the entire time under Zhao's control finally refused to be contained any longer and slid down his face.

He nodded and turned his face against the bender's chest as he was carried inside to rest.

Everything else... all those unsaid words could wait... Right now all that mattered was that he was safe... and Zuko had him.

TBC


	10. Marks of Possession

Sokka awoke to his stomach growling.

It had been a little over a week since Zuko had rescued him from Commander Zhao and Sokka had been in and out of consciousness most of that time. He knew they'd docked in a more secluded Earth Nation port, but even so, Zuko had not yet left the ship to continue his hunt for Aang. In fact... every time Sokka HAD woken up, Zuko had been right there in the room with him. Occasionally the darker-skinned teen woke to find Zuko asleep beside him on the futon, or with his back pressed against the wall of the cozy room, as if the Prince had nodded off on guard duty. Other times, the older teen had been checking the splints on his fingers and ankle, or meditating at the small candlelit shrine and Sokka had simply been content to watch the rise and fall of Zuko's back as he took slow, measured breaths causing the candles before him to glow brighter and then dim.

The few times they spoke between Sokka nodding in and out of sleep, Zuko had asked little more than how the water tribesman was feeling and if he needed anything. Sokka was a bit unnerved by it at first... It wasn't every day you had the Prince of the Fire Nation playing nurse to you... But it had been a long time since Sokka had been doted upon while sick or hurt, and in truth, he was grateful for the gentle attentiveness... and in a way, it was nice to see that Zuko in fact DID care about his well being.

Rubbing his belly lightly, Sokka's eyes instantly moved around the room, searching out the other teen. Zuko, however, was oddly absent...

'...Must have gone to the bathroom...' Sokka mused to himself and gingerly got out of bed, grateful for some fresh clothes folded not far from arms reach which he pulled on as un-clumsily as he was able. Once covered, Sokka sat on the edge of the bed and carefully tested his weight on his ankle. The joint was out of the splint but still wrapped and swollen. It protested as expected, but the pain was dulled considerably and Sokka was able to heft himself up onto both feet with only minimal discomfort. He'd have to take it slow, but he was happy to find he'd be able to walk on his own.

Heading out of the room and down the hall, Sokka noticed the ship seemed surprisingly quiet... He'd made it all the way to the deck without spotting any of the Prince's crew. Frowning puzzled Sokka looked around then up towards the command deck, noticing movement in the windows. Careful to keep excess weight off his still swollen ankle he moved up the stairs to the large command room and towards the thick closed door. He could hear voices inside and, old habits dying hard, he pressed himself to the door to listen.

Zuko stood with his uncle and men listening to the latest reports on the Avatar his scouts had brought in from the Earth Nation. Being unable to bring himself to leave the ship while Sokka was recovering had left Zuko little choice but to gather Intel.

"Prince Zuko... there have been numerous reports of a sky bison being spotted heading towards Kyoshi Island. I believe the Avatar may be hiding out there... There is only one small, private village and I believe it is the perfect place to stay hidden for a short time..."

Zuko looked at the map set out on the war table before him, calculating how far Kyoshi Island was from their current location, his eyes flickering back to his scout.

"And has anyone seen sight of the sky bison since it was last spotted moving towards Kyoshi?"

The lower ranked bender shook his head. "Not yet... I think the Avatar has stopped at the island to rest and perhaps gather more supplies... Kyoshi was a former Avatar herself, perhaps he has allies waiting for him there..."

The prince nodded mildly, considering the possibility of Earth Nation forces gathering in support of the Avatar. Earth benders were as powerful and proud as Fire benders... but they could be dealt with... subdued... If this was his chance to bring the Avatar in as his prisoner, and finally return home, he'd take it no matter the risk!

"Very well... We can't hold off any longer. Sail for Kyoshi Island... Once there, we strike! If the Avatar is still there, nothing stops us from capturing him! Nothing!" He commanded sternly, standing tall again.

His crew nodded and dispersed, getting prepared to push out of port and back to sea for the short trip to the secluded island. Several crew men headed for the door, pulling it open only to stop short at seeing the Water Tribesman standing just outside, bitterness and betrayal radiating from his gaze and tightly set jaw.

"...What are you doing up here kid? You're supposed to be down below resting..." One crewmen murmured low, reaching to clap the darker-skinned teen on the shoulder. Sokka moved away from the touch, glancing past the older man towards Zuko who, hearing his scout speak to the Inuit, had turned to look at Sokka with a quizzical expression before walking over.

"... Go back to bed and rest, you shouldn't be on that ankle... If you're hungry I'll get the cook to-"

"Oh knock off the whole 'goodie goodie host' act! Here I thought you might have actually started to change and it turns out you're just as much of a monster as Zhao is!!" Sokka cried out as if personally slighted by Zuko's orders against the Earth Nation.

Sokka's words struck home, Zuko's eyes widening slightly before narrowing to thin slits of molten gold. Iroh still stood behind his nephew, cringing at Sokka's angry outburst... With how much his nephew despised Commander Zhao, to be compared to him would be the greatest of insults... and one he knew Zuko would not take lightly.

Zuko grit his jaw and reached out to snatch Sokka at the elbow, squeezing the joint firmly to render the limb useless and deliver a serious dose of pain. Sokka yelped and squirmed, trying to tug his arm free to little avail. The infuriated Prince looked back at his men, his voice hard, but raw edged.

"The plan remains! Get moving!"

He then stepped out of the door and hauled the trapped Inuit back down the stairs and below deck, his stride firm and pace too quick for Sokka to keep up on his injured leg, the attempt to scramble behind the other only causing more strain on the barely healed fracture in his ankle.

"O-OW!! Would you slow down?! I can't move as fast as you!! You're hurting me!!" Sokka wailed in protest, tripping every few steps as his ankle began to buckle from the jarring weight of his body being pulled forward.

Zuko stopped them abruptly in an empty, sparsely lit corridor and turned, roughly slamming the younger teen into the metal wall with a hallow bang that echoed around them, his arm pinning Sokka back across the chest. The Water Tribesman grunted weakly, his breath temporarily knocked from his lungs before he looked to Zuko through a wince.

The fire bender was all tension and fury, lips pulled back in a snarl and eyes ablaze like coals knocked free of a bonfire. Sokka saw Zuko's free hand lift in a fist and felt a punch aimed at him. He quickly closed his eyes and tensed for the strike, but the fire bender's fist connected with the metal wall beside his head instead with a jarring bang. It was the sudden hot, firm press of lips against his own that really knocked Sokka's senses out of him.

His eyes flew open, wide with startled shock.

Zuko was.... KISSING HIM!!!

The Inuit went rigid as a plank of wood, a small confused noise catching in his throat. He didn't know what to do... What was the proper response to a man, and a man he was at odds with at that, kissing him?! Sokka had never really shared intimacy with anyone before, but certainly not another guy! What Zhao had done to him... well... That had been anything BUT 'intimate'.  
The noise from Sokka's throat made Zuko's mouth soften, but not retreat; the fist he'd slammed into the wall relaxing and the arm over the younger teen's chest rotating up so that he could draw his fingers along Sokka's throat to gently cradle the back of his neck, trying to get the other boy's head to tilt so their mouths could mesh better.

Sokka felt himself tremble at the shift in Zuko... Such force and anger melted into softness and request... The warmth of Zuko's lips paired with the way his thumb was lightly rolling small circles into the soft skin of the hallow just behind his ear all spoke of a tenderness Sokka had only caught small fleeting glimpses of in the Fire Nation Prince since he'd been brought back to the ship to heal.

Despite his shock, and the awkward circumstances... And against all his better judgement, Sokka let his eyes fall closed again and slowly softened, offering his mouth to the other. Zuko was quick to respond, drawing his fingers up into Sokka's loose hair and gripping the rich earthy colored strands just firmly enough to keep Sokka from pulling away, but not enough to cause the aching pain of a sore scalp as Zhao had.

Although he'd never have admitted it... Sokka had never actually KISSED anyone before. Pecks on the cheek were one thing.... and once, when he was little, he'd stolen a quick kiss on the lips from one of the young girls in his tribe... but had then quickly run away and was far too embarrassed to go any further when she and her friends giggled any time he was around them...  
But a kiss like this... Full, potent, and without any hesitation... It made Sokka feel like the 'girl' and he could do little more than follow Zuko's lead; part his lips at the slow, firm caress of the fire benders tongue and try to learn the intimate dance as that warm muscle slid against his own and coaxed him into replying.

He knew he was the novice between them, but oh~ When he tipped his head and managed to wrap his tongue properly around Zukos, drawing it inside and lightly scraping the surface with his teeth; the utterly aching moan that came out of Zuko set Sokka's blood on fire.

Something inside the Inuit ignited and he moaned an echo of the very sound that had risen from the older teen. His arms lifted, wrapping around Zuko's surprisingly muscular torso under his arms and gripping the benders' shoulders from the back as best he could with several splinted fingers, holding their torsos against each other. The mesh of body on body only intensified the heat between them and when Zuko's hip rocked forward in a slow firm grind, Sokka got his first real inclination of just how 'fired up' the young Prince had become.

His lips pulled away from Zuko's on a slightly startled gasp as he pressed back against the wall, trying to look down between them, his eyes a little mortified at the tell tale tent he could see in the front of Zuko's pants even in the dim lighting of the corridor.

"Y-You're hard?!" He whispered hoarsely, though in his mind, it sounded as though he'd shouted it and quickly clamped his lips together, trying not to focus on how damp and warm they were.

Zuko was breathing harder now, his eyes hazy and hooded under heavy lids so that his black lashes fanned out like a shade against his cheeks. He glanced between them as well, swallowing something dry and scratchy in his throat before trying to speak.

"... Y-yeah... But I'm not the only one.." He rasped as his knee shifted forward between Sokka's thighs, pressing upwards so that the Inuit's own semi jutted up from the baggy confines of his pants.

Sokka let out a little yip at the contact, his already darker skinned face flushing a deep red, his breath hitching in a slight studder.

"I-It's not what you think!!" He stammered, feeling like a young man first caught touching himself by his parents.

"...It's not?" Zuko countered mildly, seeming more puzzled by Sokka's denial then by natural embarrassment.

"I like GIRLS! N-Not BOYS!" Sokka ground out through clenched teeth, growing defensive as his embarrassment climbed.

The older teen merely snorted, keeping his fingers in Sokka's hair as his hand on the wall moved down to grip the Water Tribesman through his pants and arching his brows lightly when Sokka made another little yelp, his cock jumping as much as his body did.

"... You don't kiss like you DON'T like guys... And this..," He squeezed lightly, smiling as Sokka closed his eyes and released a whimpering moan, "This definitely seems to like me..."

Sokka grit his jaw tighter, feeling his body tremble. He kept his eyes closed, but it only made things that much worse when Zuko's hand began to slowly work him over his pants, the rougher fabric creating a friction that was both uncomfortable and exhilarating. And when the fire bender's heated mouth descended over his throat, sucking and biting gently into the vulnerable, so-sensitive flesh there, Sokka shuddered from his very core; his fist tightening on the back of Zuko's shirt.

The Prince pressed himself close once more as Sokka's protests ceased, his own cock aching for some much needed friction. Zuko had never taken a sexual partner... but he was a young adult who'd hit an active sexual need several years ago... He'd kept that desire to himself and knew his own body very well now... but to have a partner was so much more fulfilling...

Still... He didn't know why he was choosing a man for his partner...

Perhaps pent up need was simply getting the better of him.

He couldn't complain though when it felt this good to be pressed up against his captive turned... well.. Something more. Something much more...

As pleasure heightened, Zuko yearned to feel skin on skin, his own pants driving him to the point of madness. He released Sokka's cock, giving him a small nip under the ear as the Inuit whimpered in protest to the loss of contact before twisting his hand around to slide his fingers down the front of Sokka's pants, palm to his groin. His fingers brushed something rough and gnarled and Sokka let out a pained cry, firmly pushing Zuko back several feet in such a strong reflexive shove that it forced the older teen to stumble slightly to catch his footing.

Zuko blinked as he caught himself with his hands back against the opposite wall, looking at Sokka with a startled expression before he recalled the burn on Sokka's low hip... A parting gift left on him from Zhao. He mentally kicked himself and straightened up again, moving towards Sokka to offer an apology... but it was too late. Sokka was shaken to the core.

Frowning, the Prince reached out to gently draw his fingers against Sokka's cheek as the other hand moved to rest just over his waist, but the darker-skinned teen tensed at his touch, his body shaking and wide eyes pinned on the floor between their feet.

"... Sokka..." The Inuit's name left his lips on a warm breath that washed out across the younger man's throat just under his ear before Zuko's lips ghosted along the smooth length of dark flesh.

"... Y-you fire benders a-are all the same..." Sokka whispered shakily, only growing tenser at the intimacy. "... Y-you imprison people w-weaker than you, and if they don't follow your orders, y-you strip them of their dignity... R-Rape them."

Zuko stiffened at those words, his eyes widening, but too frozen to move away. They stood this way for several moments that seemed to stretch on in silence for hours, each on edge. Sokka shifted first, trying to move away, but Zuko's hands shot out to either side of the Water Tribesman, halting his retreat with duel jarring bangs of palms into metal, making Sokka flinch but stay put; his eyes chancing a glance at Zuko's face.

The older teen was staring hard straight ahead of him, as if trying to melt the metal wall under the heat of his gaze. When he spoke, his voice was low, and edged with fury.

"... If I were like Zhao... like my Father... You would not be worth raping... you'd be thrown in a dungeon to rot away the remainder of your short life..."

He looked over at Sokka, seeing the younger man wither under the hostility of his gaze.

"I would not have risked EVERYTHING for you! Why can't you see that?!" He growled low, trying his best not to shout and reveal them to any of his crew who may have been lingering nearby.

His hand moved lower covering the scar from over Sokka's pants and watching the darker teen wince weakly, catching his breath on a pained gasp. "... I would never brand you like livestock! Y-you're more than that, Sokka! You're more..."

He frowned as his words came out strained now, his anger and frustration pulling him apart. He lowered his gaze as his fingers gripped the baggy fabric of Sokka's pants and tugged it down slowly, revealing the angry burn, his voice a whisper as he took a knee before Sokka, ghosting his lips against the raised flesh.

"... He didn't deserve you... Neither do I..."

Sokka gasped tightly as Zuko tipped his head and closed his eyes, drawing his tongue slowly along the burned, healing flesh to trace the pattern of the flame insignia, setting his skin on fire in a way he'd never experienced before. It was excruciating... but Sokka pressed his hips closer all the same, forcing the knelled Prince to flatten his tongue and coat the mark in slow, full strokes.

"Z-Zuko..."

He wanted to tell the older teen to stop... to push him away... but he found himself groaning instead; his hand moving down on top of the Prince's head and his own thumb lightly grazing the burned flesh that covered Zuko's eye and ear... They had both suffered, he realized... Zuko may have been a fire bender, but his own people... his own FATHER had marked him as something less than them.

Sokka trembled with emotion, wanting to hate Zuko, and all fire benders... and knowing in that moment, he was unable to do so...

It was as Iroh had said. Zuko made mistakes... but he was not a product of his Nation. He stood apart from the cruelty of his father and his army. At least... he did when it concerned HIM.

The Inuit glanced down, noticing Zuko's tongue had paused, his thumb smoothing over the Prince's brow line where no eyebrow remained. Zuko's golden eyes stared back up at him, filled with just as much turmoil as Sokka felt storming inside himself... Eyes that possessed him far more profoundly than the brand on his hip. Sinking down so that he straddled Zuko's thighs, Sokka captured Zuko's lips slowly, softly... As if, for just a moment, they could take each others pain away with an act of pure tenderness. Zuko's head tipped, meeting the kiss without his earlier demanding and wrapped his arms securely around Sokka.

The younger man knew he could have lost himself in that moment, in Zuko...

An intercom suddenly blasted through the corridors from speakers above them, the Captain's voice jarring both teens enough to make them jolt.

"Prince Zuko! We are pulling up to Kyoshi Island. Please come to the command deck."

Zuko was breathing a little hard as he looked towards the speaker, still holding Sokka in his arms. When the intercom went quiet again, his gaze slowly dropped to Sokka's blue eyes, the pair staring quietly at each other for a long moment before Zuko moved away and stood, smoothing out his cloths.

"... Stay here... I need to go after the Avatar."

He didn't wait for Sokka's response as he turned and walked away, leaving the younger teen in a shaking, raw state on the floor, unable to do more than gaze after the man he could no longer hate... But knew he had to stop before he got to Aang.

TBC


	11. A Moment's Hesitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry to my devoted readers and fans for the long absence... I think I lost my Avatar-flare for a while and inspiration went out the window... but my love for this series will never die, and my devotion to these characters and this humble little fanfic will go on and on~ I hope these next few chapters make up for the long absence. We will now be meeting up with the rest of the Gaang and mixing in the actual series storyline. I hope I can do it justice! Feedback and critique is always welcome and appreciated! Here's to another, and hopefully more productive year for The Flame That Burns!   
> And for those of you that enjoy my writing in general and are watching me as an author, I’m also working other fics including a Thor/Loki centaur AU fic, and an Avengers/Pacific Rim cross over fic. I hope to have both first chapters posted up soon! I won’t stop writing this one, I promise! I just have several stories in my head at once demanding to come out! Haha…  
> That is all... lol  
> -Sha

Sokka didn't know what he was doing...

He had no plan, and chances were, this was only going to make things worse.... But he could NOT let Zuko get to Aang. That much he knew for sure. True Zuko's honor and 'happiness' depended on bringing the kid to his father... but the WORLD depended on Aang; and no matter his budding feelings for the Fire Nation Prince... The World came first and foremost.

The Inuit's legs carried him in as fast a run as he could manage down the ship corridors, making for the deck. He needed to get to land... get to Zuko, and with any luck at all, talk some sense into him. Or better yet, get Iroh to do it!! Iroh was the master of 'sense talking'!

He called out for the older bender, hoping to find him before it was too late to get Zuko to turn around. Sokka spotted him on the deck, gazing out towards the shore with a sober expression while watching the hulking forms of komodo rhinos burdened with several soldiers each vanish into the forest bordering the beach heading for Kiyoshi Village. Iroh turned to look at Sokka, taking in his disheveled appearance and frowning with concern. "... You should really be resting... your injuries aren't fully healed yet, Sokka."

The younger man shook his head and pointed towards land.

"That doesn't matter! Did Zuko already get onto shore?!"

"Yes, he's in the lead..." Iroh murmured with a heavy-hearted sigh, glancing to the shore again where now only tracks remained.

"And you didn't try to stop him?! You KNOW what will happen if he brings Aang to the Fire Lord!" Sokka screeched with indignation. "It'll be the end of hope for ALL of us!"

The older man bowed his head gently and nodded, glancing to the irate, but understandably so, young Water Tribesman, keeping his voice ever calm and collected.

"I am well aware of it, Sokka... But Zuko must walk his own path with me only there to help GUIDE him, not block him or push him onto the path I'd rather he take... He must learn to make the right decisions on his own, don't you see?"

Sokka threw up his arms in aggravation and turned to head below deck where he knew the gang-plank would be open and he could get to land. Iroh, puzzled and concerned for Sokka, turned to follow him, his eyes widening as he saw the already injured young man approaching a remaining komodo rhino with determination.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Those beasts are ill tempered enough to begin with! Do you even know how to ride one?!"

"... No... but they can't be much different than a Polarbear Dog...." Sokka muttered, sizing up the large scaly-leather skinned rhino that looked ready to gore or trample him. Sokka went to get a saddle and reins, blinking as Iroh put a weathered and warm hand on his arm to stop him.

"You'll never get it ready in time to do any good out there with your injuries... Let me help." The seasoned fire bender murmured with a small, but distressed smile.

Sokka was grateful for the help in saddling the beast and once Iroh had helped push him up into the saddle that could easily fit four grown men, he looked at the troubled old man with a gentle nod.

"I understand your reasoning... But some people are too stubborn to see any path except the one directly ahead of them... They're the ones that sometimes need a good shove in the RIGHT direction. I can be the one to give him that shove..." He grinned broadly and winked at Iroh before turning the komodo rhino and kicking it into a bulky gallop down the gangplank towards shore. Iroh was Zuko's rock when he faltered... Zuko needed him to always be there in support when he was at his weakest, or most stubborn... To that end, Sokka could take up the role of 'bad guy' and bully the young Prince when he needed his perspective altered.

He only hoped he wasn't too late for Kiyoshi Village...

________________________

Zuko's head was a storm of swirling thoughts and emotions.

On the one hand... He finally had a chance to corner the Avatar and take him down. To bring him back to his father and FINALLY have his honor restored! To be welcomed back home with open arms by Ozai himself and once more be able to sit at his side in his rightful place.

On the other hand, however, was Sokka...

Something had changed between them, and now... Well, now Zuko felt a sickening churning in his gut at the thought of what would become of the Inuit once they got back to the Fire Nation. If Zhao had been any inclination, Zuko could never subjugate Sokka to that a second time... Which would mean that he'd have to set Sokka free before heading home. Then again, with how adamant the younger teen was against him capturing the Avatar to begin with, Sokka might run from him the second he had the chance! Hell, he could be planning his escape right now! Most of Kiyoshi Island was forest. It would be easy for Sokka to get on shore and hide until they'd set sail again, leaving him to seek the villagers for a way back home, or to the main land at the very least.

Zuko grimaced at the thought and shook his head, tightening his grip on the reins of his rhino mount and kicking it forward as the village gates came into view, a large wooden sculpture of Kiyoshi herself hovering high above and overlooking all who came and went. Although the sculpture looked freshly painted and beautiful, Avatar Kiyoshi's visage was a bit daunting...

By the time Zuko and his soldiers made the village gates, the whole town was already on high alert. The Prince tensed for conflict, feeling the approaching battle thick in the air. Unlike most villages whose able bodied men all rushed out to fend off the attack, this village was eerily quiet... poised even... Like a held breath.

When the attack did come, it was sudden and fierce. Painted-faced warriors rushed the small rhino caravan with what appeared to be flashing golden fans. They were fleet of foot, silent, and accurate in both attack and withdrawal, using his men’s energy and less graceful attacks against them. Zuko hung back from his men up front, his lips pulled back in a dark grimace of annoyance and body coiled tightly. When the painted-faced warriors turned their efforts on him, he was prepared and quickly countered each attack blow for blow.

One of the fleet-footed warriors managed to unsaddle him, his body rolling in the dirt before he got his footing under him again, his eyes flashing with fury. It was a mistake to force him off his mount... Now he had full freedom of movement and he intended to use it to his advantage. The pair faced off, slowly half-circling each other. Zuko could now see that this painted fighter was a woman, and he immediately surmised that they all must be woman... They idolized Avatar Kiyoshi after all; the infamous woman warrior of the Earth Nation.

Woman or not, she would NOT keep him from capturing the Avatar!

"I know that the Avatar is hiding here! Just give him to me and I'll leave your village MOSTLY in tact!! Continue to fight me and everything you love will burn to ash!"

He shouted, kicking an arcing wave of flame at the young warrior, only to have it broken by the slice of wind from her fan attack.

"You Fire Benders are all the same! No matter if we give you what you want or don't, you'll still destroy everything! I have no reason to trust your word!"

The spirited young woman countered his threat, her eyes narrowed and golden fans flashing like rays of sunlight as she lifted them once again and attacked. Zuko glowered and tightened his fists, rushing towards her and blasting his opponent with wave after wave of heat, driving her back towards a building where she had less room to maneuver away from him. The young woman faltered, falling back against the outer wall of the small house and looking up at Zuko with sudden fright as the scarred Fire Prince prepared to strike a final blow. She lifted an arm, ducking her face away from the coming burn but a large shadow fell over her instead and there was the rough bellow of a large animal as it was forced to take the blast of flame itself, it's leathery hide only minorly singed.

Zuko jerked back in surprise as the komodo rhino barreled between himself and the girl. He looked up, prepared to chew the soldier astride the massive beast a new one, only to feel his snarl catch in his throat when his eyes met the Inuit's.

"....S-Sokka...?!"

The darker skinned teen frowned hard at Zuko, looking at him with disappointment and a silent pleading.

“Don’t do this, Zuko... You're hurting these people!"

The Fire Nation Prince tensed at that, his voice raw with anger and vindication.

"They're purposefully hiding him from me! All I want is the Avatar! Once I have him I'll leave them alone! NO ONE HAS TO DIE FOR THIS TO END!"

"...Except the Avatar...."

Sokka murmured gravely, his brows creased and jaw clenched with determination. He didn't want to see Zuko become the man his father wanted to mold him into... Ruthless... without compassion... He KNEW Zuko could be better than all that if he'd just stand for his own beliefs instead of constantly trying to prove himself to a man that had wounded him in every way imaginable.

Zuko felt his chest burn and tighten at that, knowing it was true. He couldn’t feign ignorance that in handing the avatar over to his father for his own reinstated honor would end well for the air bender. Ozai was out to rule the world, and his ONLY threat was a mere twelve year old boy… 

Knowing how his father dealt with anything that got in the way of his rise to glory… his wife… his son… The young avatar would not be spared. The boy would die… brought to his doom by a prince who so badly wanted nothing more than his father’s approval….

His blood would forever stain Zuko’s hands… and his soul.

The fire bender grimaced at the acidic burn that brought to his chest and throat. He KNEW it was the wrong choice… but… Maybe it would be different…! Maybe Ozai would keep Aang alive, if only to use his power for his own gain! There was always a chance that things would turn out ok… 

Wasn’t there…?

He lifted his gaze back to the young water tribe prince, his brows creased with his painful indecision. Sokka could see the older teens struggle, that he took the gravity of this moment to heart. He shifted to slide off the leathery scaled beast to the dirt, stumbling slightly on his still injured leg and feeling his breath catch when it was Zuko’s hands yet again that moved up to steady him, their eyes locking on each other. He needed to convince Zuko, in this very moment, that the RIGHT path to follow was the one of peace! The path his uncle had been desperately trying to guide him along all this time. Zuko’s tense, pained expression told him more plainly than words that this was the crucial moment. Opening his mouth, Sokka took in a hesitant breath, hoping to say everything Zuko needed to hear… but, as irony would have it, a young, feminine cry of shock and amazement cut through the fragile thread connecting them like a serrated blade.

“SOKKA?!?!”

The sound of that long missed voice that had once grated on his nerves now sounded like the most beautiful siren song in all the world!! Sokka’s head snapped up and to the side, his eyes lighting up with excitement and relief at the sight of his little sister.

“KATARA!!”

Sokka’s first instinct was to run to his sister with his arms flailing above him and tackle her in the biggest bear hug he could muster, but as soon as he turned towards her and jerked forward, pain rushed through the sudden pressure on his bad leg and he half stumbled, Zuko’s grip on his arms tightening and hauling him back up so he wouldn’t fall. He fell back against the side of the komodo rhino with a grunt and a wince. 

To Katara’s eyes, her brother was being restrained and hurt by their fire bender. Rage got the better of her judgment and she summoned the water from her sealskin pouch to her aid, firing a blast at Zuko strong enough to knock him onto his back almost 10 feet away.

“Get away from my brother you monster!!!” 

Sokka’s breath sucked in as a sharp gasp as he watched Zuko go flying. That was it… The moment was over. His hesitation had just cost them everything…!


End file.
